At least five people were killed, 22 others were injured after a terrorist attack targeted the headquarters of Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI) in the capital Ankara at 3:26 p.m. local time (12:26 GMT) on Wednesday.
Of the 22 injured, one is in critical condition, according to the minister, who said that they were taken to the Yenimahalle Research Hospital, Bilkent and Etlik hospitals, where they are currently receiving treatment.
Seven people who were injured in the attack are members of the Gendarmerie Special Operations squad, which carried out the operation against the terrorists, according to Yerlikaya, who noted that their medical condition is stable.
Health Minister Kemal Memişoğlu said three of the injured have already been discharged from the hospital.
2 terrorists behind attack
According to Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya, a male and female terrorist carried out the attack.
While no terrorist group claimed responsibility for the deadly attack, Minister Yerlikaya said preliminary investigation points to the PKK terrorist group, but a conclusion would be made after security forces finished their investigation.
The armed terrorists killed a cab driver and hijacked the cab to arrive near the entrance of the facility.
After getting out of the cab, they opened fire on civilians nearby and headed toward the facility.
Sounds of explosions were heard as they started shooting at people.
Gendarmerie special operations squads immediately arrived at the facility and launched an extensive air-backed operation and eliminated the terrorists.
Probe ongoing, broadcast ban imposed
Justice Minister Yılmaz Tunç commissioned a chief public prosecutor and eight public prosecutors to investigate the attack, which is carried out by Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office.
Officials have been calling on everyone to rely on statements from official sources for the latest developments.
The head of Türkiye’s Radio and Television Supreme Council (RTÜK) Ebubekir Şahin announced that a broadcast ban has been imposed to prevent the spread of false information.
In a statement, Şahin said unconfirmed information and terrorist propaganda were shared on social media outlets, as he called on all media outlets to use confirmed official statements.
Access to social media outlets, including Instagram, X, Facebook and YouTube, was restricted following the terrorist attack.
Timing of attack questioned
The timing of the attack has been questioned, as it took place as President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan was in Kazan, Russia to attend the BRICS summit.
Last month, Türkiye officially requested to join the BRICS alliance of developing markets as it looks to forge new ties beyond its traditional Western allies, as Ankara is frustrated by a lack of progress in its accession to the European Union.
It also took place a day after the leader of the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) which is a member of the People’s Alliance led by the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party), made the headlines on Tuesday when he offered relative freedom to the jailed leader of the PKK terrorist group. Devlet Bahçeli suggested it as a way to end terrorism that has plagued the country for decades and reasoned that the group may lay down its arms and surrender if "separatist terrorist group leader (Abdullah Öcalan) comes to Parliament and makes a speech."
‘Attack targets Türkiye’s defense breakthroughs’
Turkish officials condemned the attack for targeting Türkiye’s defense breakthroughs, as TAI is the leading aviation manufacturer of the domestic defense industry.
Established in 1973, TAI conducts design, production and modernization of the aircraft needed by Türkiye, along with export activities.
The company has significantly contributed to strengthening the Turkish defense industry through important projects it has realized to date.
The air platforms produced under the company's coordination, such as the T129 ATAK Attack and Tactical Reconnaissance Helicopter, T70 General Purpose Helicopter and ANKA and AKSUNGUR unmanned aerial vehicles, serve security forces.
Products like the HÜRKUŞ Basic Trainer Aircraft, HÜRJET Trainer and Light Attack Aircraft and GÖKBEY General Purpose Helicopter are eagerly awaiting to enter the inventory, while tests for the unmanned combat aircraft, ANKA III, are intensively ongoing.
On Monday, Türkiye's homegrown light attack aircraft Hürjet, developed by TAI, completed its first supersonic flight.
The defense company is among the top hundred global players in the aviation and space industry and is organized under six centers, including, Aviation Structurals Group, Aircraft Group, Helicopter Group, Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) Systems Group, Space Systems Group, National Combat Aircraft (NCA) Group and Engineering Group.
TAI employs 15,500 people and has an extensive production site covering an area of five million square meters.
Erdoğan cuts BRICS trip short
President Erdoğan, who was in Kazan to attend the BRICS summit, cut his trip short and headed back to Türkiye following the attack.
PKK notorious for terrorist attacks
In over four decades of attacks on Türkiye, the PKK terrorist group is responsible for the deaths of some 40,000 people, including countless innocent women, children and infants.
Its massacres, which indiscriminately targeted security forces and civilians, peaked in the 1990s and the years to come.
The terrorist group has also destroyed infrastructure, the economy and the lives of millions of people living in the southeast.
However, Türkiye’s successful counterterrorism operations inside and beyond its borders, have mostly decimated the terrorist group’s activities. Turkish security forces dealt a serious blow to the PKK terrorists in the past several years, as successful counterterrorism operations have significantly limited recruitment and other activities by the terrorist group.