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 five people were killed and 22 injured 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.
Among the dead are four TUSAS employees and the taxi driver who drove the assailants to the facility, according to Turkish Vice President Cevdet Yılma.
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.
In a separate video verified by CNN, CCTV footage shows the attackers wearing backpacks and carrying guns, approaching the entrance of the aerospace company’s headquarters.
Both assailants were members of the militant Kurdistan Workers’ Party, the PKK, according to Turkey’s Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya on Thursday, after the government confirmed their identities.
The PKK, a Kurdish separatist group which is classified as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the European Union and the United States, has not taken responsibility for the attack.
On Wednesday, Turkish Defense Minister Yasar Guler told reporters, “We [Turkey] punish the dishonorable PKK members as they deserve over and over again, but they never seem to learn.”
Later on Wednesday, several Kurdish areas in Syria and Iraq were struck by Turkey.