Five killed and dozens injured in terror attack at Turkish aerospace firm

Turkey’s Air Force strikes Kurdish militant targets in Iraq and Syria in retaliation

Five people were killed and 22 wounded in an attack on a state-run aerospace firm near the Turkish capital of Ankara, the government said.

Two attackers – a man and a woman – were killed in the skirmish after witnesses heard gunfire and an explosion at the site, interior minister Ali Yerlikaya said.

Broadcasters showed images of a damaged gate and footage of an exchange of gunfire in a car park, as well as attackers carrying assault rifles and backpacks as they entered the building.

The attackers arrived at the entry of aerospace and defense company Tusas in a taxi. The duo then detonated an explosive device next to the taxi that caused panic in the area, allowing them to enter the facility.

Mr Yerlikaya said the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) was suspected of being behind the attack. PKK is a guerrilla group dedicated to Kurdish autonomy from Turkey.

“Two terrorists were neutralised in the terror attack on the Tusas Ankara Kahramankazan site,” Mr Yerlikaya said.

Turkish armed police walk nearby the gate of the Turkish Aerospace Industries following an attack on the site (AFP via Getty Images)

Witnesses said employees inside the building were taken by authorities to shelters and no one was permitted to leave for a few hours.

They said the blasts they heard may have taken place at different exits as employees were leaving work for the day.

Turkey’s Air Force struck Kurdish militant targets in Iraq and Syria on Wednesday in an apparent retaliation for the attack on the state-run aerospace.

The defense ministry said more than 30 targets were “destroyed” in the aerial offensive, without providing details on the locations that were hit. It said “all kinds of precautions” were taken to prevent harm to civilians.

Defence minister Yasar Guler said: “We give these PKK scoundrels the punishment they deserve every time. But they never come to their senses”.

Mr Guler said the government will continue to “pursue them until the last terrorist is eliminated”. Turkey regularly conducts airstrikes against the PKK and against a Kurdish militia group in Syria that is affiliated with the militants.

The attack on the aerospace facility comes a day after Turkey raised the possibility the PKK’s imprisoned leader Abdullah Ocalan could be granted parole if he renounced violence and disbanded his organisation.

Ocalan has been fighting for autonomy in southeast Turkey in a conflict that has killed tens of thousands of people since the 1980s. It is considered a terrorist group by Turkey and its Western allies.

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan, alongside Russia’s Vladimir Putin at a Brics conference in Kazan, condemned the attack.

A taxi reportedly used by the attackers is towed away following reports of gunfire and explosions (Getty Images)

“We have four martyrs. We have 14 wounded. I condemn this heinous terrorist attack and wish mercy on our martyrs,” Erdogan said at the time.

British prime minister Keir Starmer said he was “appalled” by the attack and offered condolences to the families of the victims.

“We stand shoulder to shoulder with Turkey as a Nato ally and close friend,” he said in a post on X.

There was no immediate statement from the PKK.

Mechanical engineer Zahide Guclu, who had gone to the entrance to collect flowers sent by her husband, has been identified as one of the victims, state-run Anadolu Agency reported. The taxi driver was identified as the second victim and his body was found in the trunk of the vehicle.

Orhan Akdundar, a brother of a Tusas employee, said his sibling told him there was an explosion and the gunshots continued for a long time.

“There was a huge commotion. The gendarmerie, special forces and other security forces were all here. There were lots of ambulances. Then the phones shut off and I wasn’t able to establish communication,” he told the Associated Press.

Nato, the US and the European Union also condemned the attack. Nato secretary general Mark Rutte said the alliance would stand by Turkey.

Tusas is Turkey’s largest aerospace manufacturer, currently producing a training craft, combat and civilian helicopters, as well as developing the country’s first fighter jet, Kaan.

Smoke billows above the aerospace site which was attacked by suspected Kurdish militants (AP)

The firm is owned by the Turkish Armed Forces Foundation and government and employs more than 10,000 people.

The blast occurred as an important trade fair for the defence and aerospace industries was taking place in Istanbul.

Turkey’s defence sector, which is known for making Bayraktar drones, accounts for nearly 80 per cent of the country’s export revenues, with revenues thought to exceed £8bn in 2023.