Four killed, 14 injured in terror attack on Turkish aerospace company
By Mostafa Salem, Isil Sariyuce, Benjamin Brown, Niamh Kennedy and Christian Edwards, CNN
(CNN) — Armed assailants launched a deadly “terror” attack on Turkey’s state-run aerospace company near the capital Ankara on Wednesday, government officials said.
At least four people were killed and 14 injured – with three in critical condition – in the “terrorist attack” on the Turkish Aerospace Industries (TUSAS) headquarters in the outskirts of Ankara, said Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya. Two attackers – a man and a woman – were killed, he added.
“I condemn this heinous attack. Our fight will continue with determination and determination until the last terrorist is neutralized,” Yerlikaya said. “May God have mercy on our martyrs. I wish a speedy recovery to our injured.”
A social media video verified and geolocated by CNN showed the moment an explosion rocked the TUSAS headquarters. After the blast, a person holding a firearm is seen running in what appears to be a parking lot.
When asked by journalists for a response to the attack, Turkish Defense Minister Yasar Guler suggested the militant Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) could be behind it. The PKK is classified as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the European Union, and the United States.
Without elaborating on the attackers’ identities, Guler told reporters “we [Turkey] punish the dishonorable PKK members as they deserve over and over again but they never seem to learn.”
No group has claimed responsibility for the attack. Turkey’s interior ministry has yet to name the identities or the affiliations of Wednesday’s attackers.
Following the attack, the aerospace company’s general manager, Mehmet Demiroglu, left a high-profile defense fair early to return to Ankara, state news agency Anadolu reported.
TUSAS was incorporated into Turkey’s Ministry of Industry and Technology in 1973 in order to reduce the “foreign dependence” of the country’s defense industry, according to its website.
“This is one of the biggest, largest defense companies in the country. It’s producing armed drones and fighter jets,” Ragip Soylu, Turkey bureau chief for the news outlet Middle East Eye, told CNN.
The attack occurred while Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan was in the Russian city of Kazan to attend the annual BRICS summit. He condemned the “hateful attack” alongside Russian President Vladimir Putin, who Erdogan thanked for his condolences.
Erdogan referred to the incident in a post on X as a “vile attack” that targeted the country’s survival and defense initiatives. “I extend my best wishes to our nation and the devoted employees of TUSAS, the source of pride for our defense industry,” the Turkish president wrote.
Turkey is a member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. Mark Rutte, the secretary general of NATO, said he has spoken with Erdogan about the “deeply concerning” attack. “NATO stands with Turkey,” he said.
Ankara mayor Mansur Yavas said he was “saddened” by the hit on TUSAS, a major defense company. Turkish Justice Minister Yilmaz Tunc said an investigation has been launched into the attack.
Wednesday’s attack is “going to raise a lot of questions” in a country that has not experienced this kind of violence for several years, Turkey expert Aslı Aydıntaşbaş told CNN.
‘Raise a lot of questions and suspicions’
Aydıntaşbaş, an associate senior policy fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations, noted that the attack was the first of its kind for “a number of years” and took place as the Turkish government began “exploring the idea of a peace process” with the PKK.
On Tuesday, the leader of Turkey’s Nationalist Movement Party brought up Kurdish relations in Parliament when he suggested offering to release the PKK’s jailed leader if he disbanded the organization, Reuters reported.
“An attack on a major Turkish defense contractor, a public company, but also the crown jewel of Turkey’s defense industry, is going to be a huge trauma,” he said. “It’s also going to raise a lot of questions and suspicions in Turkey about what the motivations are, who could be behind it.”
“There will be a lot of theories and a lot of confusion until we know who actually planned this and carried it out,” Aydıntaşbaş added.
Earlier, the country’s Directorate of Communications Center for Countering Disinformation warned people to rely only on official statements and not to “believe unfounded allegations.
Russian President Putin expressed his condolences. “You know how we feel about this. We condemn any manifestations of this kind, no matter what their motivations are,” Putin told Erdogan in his opening remarks, just hours after the attack.
The US State Department is “tracking reports” of the attack, a spokesperson told CNN.
The US embassy in Turkey “strongly” condemned the attack on X, saying “we stand with our ally Turkey.”
This story and headline have been updated with additional developments.
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CNN’s Anna Chernova, Jennifer Hansler and Gul Tuysuz contributed reporting.
