Second assailant is killed in a shootout; Interior Ministry says bomber attacked outside building housing general security directorate
ANKARA, Turkey — A suicide bomber detonated an explosive device in the heart of the Turkish capital, Ankara, on Sunday, hours before parliament was scheduled to reopen after a summer recess. A second assailant was killed in a shootout with police.
Two police officers were slightly injured during the attack near the Ministry of Interior Affairs, Minister Ali Yerlikaya said on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter.
The ministry said two attackers arrived in a commercial vehicle around 9:30 a.m. (0630 GMT) “in front of the entrance gate of the General Directorate of Security of our Ministry of the Interior, and carried out a bomb attack.”
“One of the terrorists blew himself up and the other was neutralized,” the ministry added
There was no immediate information on the assailants. Kurdish and far-left terror groups as well as the Islamic State group have carried out deadly attacks throughout the country in the past.
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Television footage showed bomb squads working near a parked vehicle in the area which is located near the Turkish Grand National Assembly and other government buildings. Police cordoned off access to the city center.
???? Ankara'da meydana gelen patlama anı:
pic.twitter.com/KlBoe9NIh8
— Conflict (@ConflictTR) October 1, 2023
Ankara: Explosion near parliament – Interior Ministry speaks of attack #Turkey pic.twitter.com/qfVQ9QXne1
— Ulli (@RealthingUlli) October 1, 2023
The two police officers were being treated in a hospital and were not in serious condition, media reports said.
The targeted district is home to several other ministries and the Turkish parliament, which was due to reopen with an address from President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, according to Turkish media.
TV channel NTV reported gunfire in the cordoned-off district, where emergency services were in attendance.
