Deadly terrorist attack on major defense company in Turkey

Deadly terrorist attack on major defense company in Turkey

A deadly terrorist attack targeted a Turkish aerospace company in the capital Ankara, government officials reported Wednesday.

Terrorist attack on TUSAS

"A terrorist attack was carried out on the facilities of Turkish Aerospace Industries Inc. (TUSAS) in Ankara Kahramankazan. Unfortunately, we have martyrs and injured people after the attack," Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said on X. A social media video verified and geolocated by CNN showed the moment an explosion rocked the TUSAS headquarters. After the explosion, a person with a gun can be seen running away in a parking garage.

Reactions to the attack

Ankara Mayor Mansur Yavas expressed “sadness” over the attack on TUSAS, a major defense contractor. According to TUSAS's website, the company was incorporated into the Turkish Ministry of Industry and Technology in 1973 to reduce the country's "foreign dependence in the defense industry."

Investigations and international reactions

Turkish Justice Minister Yilmaz Tunc announced that an investigation had been opened into the attack. The US State Department is "following reports" of the attack, a spokesperson told CNN. After the attack, the company's chief executive, Mehmet Demiroglu, left a high-profile defense exhibition early to return to Ankara. The attack occurred while Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan was in the Russian city of Kazan to attend the annual BRICS summit.

Current developments

This story has been updated with new information.