Authorities have reported that an incident at an aviation company’s headquarters near the Turkish capital Ankara has killed at least five people and injured 22 more.
Two attackers, a man and a woman, have been “neutralized,” according to Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya, who also stated that the PKK, a Kurdish rebel organization, was most likely involved in the incident.
The attack has not been attributed to any group.
Late on Wednesday, Turkey’s defense ministry declared that airstrikes had been directed against Kurdish rebel sites in northern Syria and Iraq.
At least two individuals can be seen shooting at the entrance to Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI), which is some 40 kilometers (25 miles) outside of the city, according to several footage taken during the incident earlier on Wednesday.
Turkish Vice President Cevdet Yilmaz confirmed that four of the 22 victims were TAI employees, while the fifth was a taxi driver. The attack occurred during a shift change, and staff had to be directed to shelters. Seven special ops forces members were among the 22 injured.
The PKK, banned as a terrorist organization in Turkey, the US, and the UK, has been fighting against the Turkish state since the 1980s for greater rights for the country’s Kurdish minority.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan condemned the attack during a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Turkish authorities have imposed a media blackout on details of the attack, and users in large areas of the country have reported not being able to use social media sites like YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, and X. Ebubekir Sahin, president of Turkey’s Radio and TV Supreme Council, warned that all images relating to the incident should be removed from social media and urged users not to share images that “will serve the purpose of terrorism.”
TAI is a key player in Turkey’s aerospace industry, designing, developing, and manufacturing various aircraft for commercial and military use.
