Jump to content

2024 Turkish Aerospace Industries headquarters attack

Coordinates: 40°04′44″N 32°35′01″E / 40.078979°N 32.583599°E / 40.078979; 32.583599
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

2024 Turkish Aerospace Industries headquarters attack
Part of the terrorism in Turkey
Heavy traffic in the Ankara ring road after the attack
LocationKahramankazan, Ankara, Turkey
Coordinates40°04′44″N 32°35′01″E / 40.078979°N 32.583599°E / 40.078979; 32.583599
Date23 October 2024
~4:00 pm (TRT)
TargetTurkish Aerospace Industries headquarters
Attack type
Bombings, mass shooting
WeaponsAKS-74Us, M67 grenades and explosives
Deaths7 (including 2 attackers)[1]
Injured22[1]
PerpetratorPKK (per Turkey)[2]

On 23 October 2024, five people were killed and 22 injured in a terrorist attack on the headquarters of Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI) in Kahramankazan, Ankara.[3] The two suspects were later killed.[1]

Background

[edit]

TUSAŞ is one of Turkey’s major companies specialising in defence and aviation companies. Its projects include the TAI TF Kaan, Turkey's first domestically produced combat aircraft.[4] The incident happened as a major trade fair for the defence and aerospace industries was being held in Istanbul.[3]

At the time of the attack, a weapons exhibition was taking place in Istanbul, which received a visit from Ukrainian foreign minster Andrii Sybiha.[5][6]

A day before the attack on 22 October 2024, chairman of the ultranationalist Nationalist Movement Party Devlet Bahçeli proposed PKK leader Abdullah Öcalan's solitary confinement to be lifted and that he should to come to the Turkish parliament and declare the PKK's dissolution. His proposition was found very unexpected by the pro-Kurdish DEM Party.[7][8][9]

Attack

[edit]

The attack was made at around 4:00 p.m. (TRT)[10] on the headquarters of Turkish Aerospace Industries in Kahramankazan, 40 kilometres (25 mi) outside Ankara,[3] and coincided with a shift change at the facility.[11] Three attackers arrived aboard a taxi before detonating an explosive beside it[12] and firing guns and entering the complex.[13] A large fire later broke out at the site. Security cameras showed one of the attackers wearing plainclothes carrying a backpack and holding an assault rifle. One of the perpetrators was identified as a woman.[3] Staff were evacuated to shelters, while firefighters and medical teams were dispatched to the scene.[11] Clashes were also reported in a nearby car park.[10] The Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha was reportedly present during the attack and his status remains unknown.

At least seven people were killed in the attack,[10] including two assailants and the driver of the taxi they rode in,[12] while 22 others were injured, one of which was in a critical condition.[14] There were no initial claims of responsibility.[13]

Aftermath

[edit]

Ebubekir Şahin, Chairman of the Radio and Television Supreme Council (RTÜK), announced that a broadcasting ban was imposed on the attack.[15] In addition, social media platforms were bandwidth throttled and access to platforms such as X, Instagram and Youtube were restricted.

Perpetrators

[edit]

According to the Turkish government the perpetrators of the attack were members of the PKK. It was revealed that the male perpetrator was born in 1992 in Şırnak, Beytüşşebap. AKS-74U compact weapons with optics, known to be frequently used by the PKK terrorist organization, were used in the attack.[16]

Reactions

[edit]

Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya called the incident a "terrorist attack"[14] and said "Unfortunately, we have martyrs and injured people." Ankara metropolitan mayor Mansur Yavaş said in a statement he was “deeply saddened” by the news. Justice Minister Yılmaz Tunç, announced that the Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office has launched a “judicial investigation” into the incident.[11] The attack was also condemned by Vice President Cevdet Yılmaz,[17] who said that the attack was aimed against Turkey's "success in the defense industry",[12] transport minister Abdulkadir Uraloğlu and Republican People's Party leader and concurrent leader of the opposition Özgür Özel.[10] TUSAŞ general manager Mehmet Demiroglu cut short his attendance at a defence fair to attend to the situation at company headquarters.[14] President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan condemned the attack during a meeting with Russian president Vladimir Putin at the 16th BRICS summit in Russia.[11] Putin also expressed his condolences.[14]

Mark Rutte, secretary-general of NATO, expressed solidarity with Turkey following the attack.[14] Condemnations were also expressed by the European Union and the United States.[18]

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c "Ankara TUSAŞ'ta terör saldırısı: 5 şehit, 22 yaralı". Milliyet (in Turkish). 23 October 2024. Retrieved 23 October 2024.
  2. ^ "TUSAŞ saldırısı: Güler ve Yerlikaya PKK'ya işaret etti" (in Turkish). Deutsche Welle. 23 October 2024. Retrieved 23 October 2024.
  3. ^ a b c d "'Dead and wounded' in attack near Ankara, Turkish minister says". Al Jazeera. 23 October 2024. Retrieved 23 October 2024.
  4. ^ "İşte TUSAŞ'a saldıran o teröristler ve saldırı anı". Habertürk (in Turkish). Retrieved 23 October 2024.
  5. ^ "Ukraine's foreign minister arrives in Türkiye on visit – photos". Ukrainska Pravda. Retrieved 23 October 2024.
  6. ^ "Three killed, 14 wounded in attack on aviation firm near Turkey's Ankara". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 23 October 2024.
  7. ^ "Bahçeli'nin Öcalan çağrısı sonrası Ankara kulislerinde neler konuşuluyor?". BBC News Türkçe (in Turkish). 23 October 2024. Retrieved 23 October 2024.
  8. ^ "Bahçeli'den Öcalan çağrısı: Meclis'e gelsin DEM grubunda silah bırakıldığını ilan etsin". www.ntv.com.tr (in Turkish). Retrieved 23 October 2024.
  9. ^ "Öcalan için 'umut hakkı' mümkün mü?". Milliyet (in Turkish). 23 October 2024. Retrieved 23 October 2024.
  10. ^ a b c d Beaumont, Peter; Michaelson, Ruth. "Terror attack blamed as four killed and several wounded at Turkish aerospace firm". The Guardian. Retrieved 23 October 2024.
  11. ^ a b c d "Attack at Turkish aviation company causes deaths, says minister". BBC. Retrieved 23 October 2024.
  12. ^ a b c Fraser, Susan. "Turkish media report explosion and gunfire at premise of a state aerospace company". ABC News. Retrieved 23 October 2024.
  13. ^ a b "An attack targeting a Turkish defense company leaves 3 dead and several wounded". Associated Press. 23 October 2024. Retrieved 23 October 2024.
  14. ^ a b c d e "Four killed, 14 injured in terror attack on Turkish aerospace company". CNN. 23 October 2024. Retrieved 23 October 2024.
  15. ^ "TUSAŞ'taki terör saldırısına ilişkin yayın yasağı". Milliyet (in Turkish). 23 October 2024. Retrieved 23 October 2024.
  16. ^ "TUSAŞ saldırısının altından PKK çıktı! Teröristler özel eğitim almış". Türkiye Gazetesi (in Turkish). 23 October 2024. Retrieved 23 October 2024.
  17. ^ "Turkish aerospace facility targeted in terror attack in Ankara". Hürriyet Daily News. 23 October 2024. Retrieved 23 October 2024.
  18. ^ "Attackers kill 4, injure 14 at Turkish state aviation site". Reuters. 23 October 2024. Retrieved 23 October 2024.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=2024_Turkish_Aerospace_Industries_headquarters_attack&oldid=1252986301"