CNN
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A deadly “terror” attack targeted a Turkish aerospace company in the capital Ankara, government officials said Wednesday.
“A terrorist attack was carried out against the Turkish Aerospace Industries Inc. (TUSAS) Ankara Kahramankazan facilities. Unfortunately, we have martyrs and injured people after the attack,” Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said on X.
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.
Ankara mayor Mansur Yavas said he was “saddened” by the attack on TUSAS, a major defense company.
TUSAS was incorporated into Turkey’s Ministry of Industry and Technology in 1973 in order to reduce the country’s “foreign dependence in defense industry,” according to its website.
Turkish Justice Minister Yilmaz Tunc said an investigation has been launched into the attack.
Turkish Aerospace Industries
The US State Department is “tracking reports” of the attack, a spokesperson told CNN.
Following the attack, the company’s general manager, Mehmet Demiroglu, left a high-profile defense fair early to return to Ankara, state news agency Anadolu reported.
The attack occurred while Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan was in the Russian city of Kazan to attend the annual BRICS summit.
This story has been updated with additional developments.