Armed assassins stormed a company’s premises near Ankara and took hostages. At least five people died.
A fireball erupted at the entrance to the premises of the Turkish state-owned arms company <a href="https://time.news/ankara-turkey-attack-five-killed-22-injured-in-attack-on-turkish-aerospace-company/" title="Ankara, Turkey attack: Five killed, 22 injured in attack on Turkish aerospace company”>Tusas on the outskirts of Ankara, shortly after which armed fighters, including at least one woman, apparently entered the arms factory : Internet videos on Wednesday showed the moment of the attack, which, according to the government, was at least five dead and 22 injured. Turkish media reported that two attackers had barricaded themselves in the area with hostages. According to Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya, two “terrorists” were neutralized.
The perpetrators focused their attack on the heart of the Turkish arms industry. Tusas is one of the most important defense companies in Turkey and operates in the aerospace sector. The company is supposed to produce Türkiye’s first fighter jet, the TF-Kaan. The factory attacked on Wednesday also maintains and modernizes F-16 fighter jets. President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has expanded his country’s defense industry significantly in recent years to reduce dependence on foreign manufacturers. The TF-Kaan completed its maiden flight earlier this year and is expected to enter service within the next decade.
Ankara blames PKK
The attack began during the changing of the guard at Tusas at 3:30 pm (2:30 pm, CEST). It was initially unclear whether the explosion seen in the videos was caused by a suicide bomber. Videos and photos showed the partially destroyed guard house at the entrance to the factory premises and at least three attackers, apparently a woman among them. Turkish media reported that the criminals entered the area and took hostages; There are still exchanges of fire.
There was no letter of responsibility at first, but in the evening Interior Minister Yerlikaya blamed the terrorist organization Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) “with high probability” for the attack. Turkish media previously reported the timing of the attack: It came one day after Turkish right-wing nationalist leader Devlet Bahceli called for an end to the Kurdish conflict. Bahceli invited the imprisoned PKK founder Abdullah Öcalan to speak in the Turkish parliament and officially end the war against the state. Extremist groups in the PKK could now try to disrupt this process, the reports said.
However, the nature of the attack did not match the usual methods of the PKK. Furthermore, the group has been so weakened by persecution by the Turkish army that it has been unable to carry out major acts of violence for years. The Islamic State (IS), which is active in Turkey, is also unlikely to be an offender because IS does not use women as fighters.
Suspicion has therefore been directed at the left-wing Revolutionary People’s Liberation Front (DHKP-C), which has been active since the 1970s and mainly attacks the police and other security organs. The DHKP-C is extremely anti-American and provides suicide bombers and fighters.
Their methods also include taking hostages. Nine years ago, DHKP-C fighters broke into an Istanbul courthouse and took over a public prosecutor. The police stormed the room and killed the attackers; the prosecutor died.