At least five dead and 22 injured in an attack on the facilities of a Turkish aerospace company

At least five people have died and another 22 have been injured in an attack carried out this Wednesday by armed “terrorists” against the main facilities of the Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI) company in Ankara.

The president of Türkiye, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, has assured that it is “a despicable attack” that aims to disturb the peace in Türkiye and its defense advances. “No structure, no terrorist organization, no evil focus that aims at our security will be able to achieve its objectives,” he said.

Likewise, the Turkish president has praised the company as one of the “locomotives of the defense industry.” “Our security forces quickly intervened in the incident and killed the terrorists,” he added.

The Minister of the Interior, Ali Yerlikaya, has confirmed on social networks the “neutralization” of the two alleged perpetrators of the attack – a woman and a man – which began around 3:30 p.m. (local time), according to the official Anatolia news agency. .

Yerlikaya has detailed that three of the injured are “in serious condition” and has announced that the authorities have launched an investigation into the events to determine as soon as possible which terrorist organization is behind the attack. Images from security cameras circulating on social networks showing the two alleged attackers.

Although the attack has not been claimed by any group, the minister has pointed out that due to the similarity with other armed actions, there are chances that the perpetrators are related to the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK).

For his part, the Minister of Justice, Yilmaz Tunc, has condemned this “terrorist attack” on social networks and has announced the opening of an investigation by the Prosecutor’s Office. Several ministers later visited the wounded.

The complex attacked this Wednesday is located in the Kahramankazan area and serves as a parts factory for airplanes, drones, helicopters and satellites. TAI, considered a pillar of Türkiye’s aerospace industry, also participates in international projects, with components destined for the Airbus A380 or the A400M military cargo plane.

Among those who have expressed their condolences for the attack is the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, who received Erdogan this Wednesday in Kazan, venue of the BRICS meeting. Also the Secretary General of NATO, Mark Rutte, who spoke by phone with the Turkish president and underlined the “strong condemnation of terrorism in all its forms.”