Defence minister accuses PKK of attack on Turkish aerospace firm

At least five people were killed and 22 injured in an attack on Wednesday against the headquarters of Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI) in the Kahramankazan district of the capital Ankara.

Assailants set off explosives and opened fire against the Turkish state-run aerospace and defence company Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said.

“I condemn this heinous terrorist attack and wish mercy on our martyrs,” Erdogan said during a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of a BRICS meeting in Kazan.

Defence minister blames PKK

Minister of Defence, Yaşar Güler, claimed “Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) militants were behind the attack”.

Speaking to the press shortly after the attack, Güler said, “We give these PKK scoundrels the punishment they deserve each time, but they never learn. As I always say, we will continue to pursue them relentlessly until the last terrorist is eliminated.”

The PKK is considered a terrorist organisation by many countries and international organisations, including the European Union, the US, the UK and Turkey.

Turkish Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said two of the attackers had been neutralised, offering condolences to the victims.

Turkish media said three assailants, including a woman, arrived at an entry to the complex inside a taxi. The assailants, who were carrying assault weapons, then detonated an explosive device next to the taxi, causing panic and allowing them to enter the complex.

Multiple gunshots were heard after Turkish security forces entered the site, the DHA news agency and other media reported. Helicopters were seen flying above the premises.

A TAI employee, speaking to Euronews on condition of anonymity, said they were instructed to stay inside the compound at the time of the attack.

“We were told it was an act of terrorism and that we should not leave our positions,” they said, adding that security forces and the perpetrators of the attack exchanged fire.

The source also said that the clash broke out near the compound’s entrance gate. Security forces and medical personnel were dispatched to the area.

EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell condemned the attacks in a post on X.

“Today, the headquarters of a Turkish aviation company in Ankara was attacked by terrorists, resulting in deaths and injuries. We strongly condemn terrorism in all its forms. The EU expresses solidarity with Türkiye in this difficult time,” Borrell said.

Established in 1984, TAI is a leading aerospace company in Turkey. It specialises in the manufacture, integration, design, development, modernisation, and life cycle support of integrated aerospace systems.

TAI also plays a significant role in Turkey’s aerospace and defence industry.

TAI is also known for its Hürjet, a single-engine supersonic advanced jet trainer and light combat aircraft named for late Turkish aviation pioneer Vecihi Hürkuş.

The warplane is still in development, but its first prototype took flight in April of last year.

Vice President Cevdet Yilmaz said the target of the attack was Turkey’s “success in the defense industry.”

“It should be known that these attacks will not be able to deter the heroic employees of defence industry,” he wrote on X.

Additional sources • AP