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A huge explosion outside the headquarters of Turkish Aerospace Industries (TUSAS) near Ankara left a number of people “dead and injured”, Turkiye’s interior minister said on Wednesday, describing it as a “terrorist attack”.
“A terrorist attack was carried out against the Turkish Aerospace Industries … Unfortunately, we have martyrs and injured people,” Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya wrote on X.
Footage from the scene broadcast by local media initially showed huge clouds of smoke and a large fire raging at the site in Kahramankazan, a small town some 40 kilometres north of Ankara.
Haberturk TV said there was an ongoing “hostage situation” without giving further details, while the private NTV television channel spoke of gunshots after the blast which took place around 4pm.
Television images showed a damaged gate and a nearby clash in a parking lot.
There was no immediate claim for the attack.
The blast occurred as a major trade fair for the defence and aerospace industries was taking place in Istanbul which was visited this week by Ukraine’s top diplomat.
TUSAS is one of Turkiye’s most important defence and aviation companies. It produces KAAN, the country’s first national combat aircraft, among other projects.
Turkiye’s defence sector, which is widely known for its Bayraktar drones, accounts for nearly 80 per cent of the nation’s export revenues with revenues expected to top $10.2 billion in 2023.
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