Chilling CCTV footage has shown the moment male and female terrorists stormed the headquarters of a defence company in Turkey, leaving at least four people dead and 14 injured.
Attackers wielding rifles launched a deadly assault on the Turkish Aerospace Industries (TUSAS) near the capital Ankara at around 4pm local time (1300 GMT).
Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said two attackers ‘a woman and a man, have been neutralised’, but did not say whether there were any other attackers still at large.
He said that authorities are working to determine their identities and the organisation they belong to, and added that three of the wounded are in a serious condition.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who is attending the BRICS summit in Russia, confirmed the number of victims and condemned the ‘heinous’ attack.
Explosions and gunshots were heard outside the building this afternoon, with pictures from the scene showing a fireball erupting and a large plume of smoke rising near the front of the complex.
Unconfirmed reports in local media suggested that a suicide bomber targeted the entrance gate before attackers clashed with security services.
Turkish special forces were dispatched to the scene, with video showing dozens of soldiers heading to the site as terrified staff members barricaded themselves and hid from the terrorists as they awaited rescue.
Footage from the building released by Turkish broadcasters shows an armed man entering the building
One of the attackers who stormed the building was a woman. Authorities said she and a male attacker were ‘neutralised’
The attackers are seen by an abandoned car near the entrance of the defence manufacturer building
People are seen taking shelter and barricading doors inside the building
Smoke rises as security forces, firefighters, and paramedics are dispatched to Turkish Aerospace Industries’ (TAI) facilities after explosions and gunshots were reported
Pictures from the scene show a fireball erupting and a large plume of smoke rising near the entrance
A picture has been circulating online which is believed to show a cache of weapons belonging to the ‘neutralised’ terrorists
A gunman is seen in CCTV footage near one of the building’s entrances during the attack
A man armed with an assault rifle climbs over a turnstyle at the entrance to the building
Haunting pictures show heavily armed gunmen climbing over turnstyles as they entered the building.
Pools of blood and a number bodies can be seen lying on the ground outside the facility in pictures from the scene.
Witnesses said that employees inside the building were taken by authorities to shelters and that no one was permitted to leave.
They said bombings may have taken place at different exits as employees were leaving work for the day.
TV station NTV reported that a group of assailants arrived at an entry to the complex in a taxi during a changing of security personnel.
The news outlet also suggested that personnel at the complex may have been taken hostage, but it was later reported that there was no hostage situation.
Firefighters, medics and a helicopter arrived at the scene as reports of the horrific attack emerged.
Meanwhile relatives of employees trapped inside the building waited anxiously for news about their loved ones.
Pictures have circulated showing a cache of weapons believed to have been found on the attackers, including grenades, suggesting that many more could have been killed in the bloody attack.
It is still not clear who was behind it. Kurdish militants, ISIS and leftist extremists have carried out attacks in the country in the past.
Relatives of employees watch on following an attack on October 23, 2024 in Ankara, Turkey
Family members wait anxiously for news amid the ongoing attack on the TUSAS headquarters
Video from the scene showed flames and a plume of smoke rising after explosions were heard
Armed Turkish Gendermerie officers walk along the main throughfare in Kahramankazan, some 40 kilometers (25 miles) north of Ankara
Police stand guard at the road leading to the Turkish Aerospace Industries facility following the attack
A helicopter circles overhead as emergency services respond to the attack in Ankara
Mansur Yavas, the mayor of Ankara, said in a statement: ‘I am deeply saddened by the conflict and terrorist attack that occurred at the TAI facility in Ankara.
‘I wish God’s mercy upon our martyrs and a speedy recovery to our wounded. We condemn terrorism.’
Russian President Vladimir Putin met his Turkish counterpart at the BRICS summit in Kazan, Russia, this evening, and offered his condolences over the deadly attack.
‘We are very pleased to welcome you to Kazan, but before we begin our work I would like to express my condolences in connection with the terror attack,’ Putin said at the start of talks with President Erdogan.
The Turkish leader thanked him in return, saying ‘we have four dead in this act of terror’.
Russian President Vladimir Putin met his Turkish counterpart at the BRICS summit in Kazan, Russia, this evening, and offered his condolences over the deadly attack
The blast occurred as a major trade fair for the defence and aerospace industries was taking place in Istanbul which was visited this week by Ukraine’s top diplomat.
Turkey’s defence sector, which is widely known for its Bayraktar drones, accounts for nearly 80 percent of the nation’s export revenues with revenues expected to top 10.2 billion dollars in 2023.
TUSAS is one of the country’s most important defence and aviation companies.
It produces KAAN, the country’s first national combat aircraft, among other projects, and has over 10,000 employees.
According to Turkish media, the company has recently developed attack helicopters, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and other aircraft.
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