„I condemn this heinous act of terrorism attack and I wish God's mercy to our martyrs”, Turkish President Recep Erdogan said on the occasion of the terrorist attack in the heart of the country's arms industry, NOVA reported.
He learned the news during the BRICS forum organized by Vladimir Putin.
Yesterday afternoon, the headquarters of an aviation and space plant, which is located near Ankara, was attacked by unknown assailants. Five people died and 22 were injured, Turkish authorities said. Two terrorists - a man and a woman have been eliminated.
A loud explosion was heard in the area, followed by gunfire in front of the entrance gate of the plant. Some Turkish media reported that a kamikaze bomber blew himself up, but this has not been officially confirmed. “Our efforts to identify the perpetrators are ongoing. As soon as their identity is determined, it will be revealed to our nation to make it clear which terrorist organization is responsible,” said Turkey's Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya.
The company where the attack took place is state-owned. It is one of the most important in Turkey's defense industry and produces both civil aircraft and helicopters, as well as Kaan - the first Turkish combat aircraft.
„This is an extremely sensitive sector of the Turkish defense industry. Let's say that 80% of Turkish arms exports are due to this industry. Looking at how many people the attackers are, this is not a question of a country that made, carried out this terrorist attack, but rather it is an internal Turkish problem. What we have to say is that the Turkish drones “Bayraktar“ are used very actively by the Turkish armed forces in northern Iraq and in northern Syria against units of either the Syrian Kurds or the PKK, which continue to operate on the territory of neighboring Iraq," said Arabist and international analyst Vladimir Chukov.
After the attack, NATO chief Mark Rutte offered the alliance's support for Turkey in a conversation with Erdogan.