PodcastBomb attack strikes Turkish capital as PKK claims responsibility
Turkish interior minister stated that ''two terrorists organized a bomb attack" in front of the interior ministry building on the morning of Oct. 1. The Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) claimed responsibility for the attack, said a group called the "Immortals Battalion" had carried it out. The Turkish Parliament, situated near the ministry, was planned to hold an opening ceremony for the new legislative term on the same day with the blast.
Duvar English
Turkey's Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya on Oct. 1 stated that a bomb attack were organized at the entrance gate of the Interior Ministry's Police Headquarters in capital Ankara at 9:30 a.m. local time.
Saat 09.30 sıralarında İçişleri Bakanlığımız Emniyet Genel Müdürlüğü giriş kapısı önüne hafif ticari araçla gelen 2 terörist bombalı saldırı eyleminde bulunmuştur.
— Ali Yerlikaya (@AliYerlikaya) October 1, 2023
Teröristlerden biri kendini patlatmış, diğer terörist etkisiz hale getirilmiştir.
Açılan ateş sırasında 2 Emniyet…
''A terrorist blew himself up in front of a ministry building and another was neutralised," the minister added.
Also, two police officers were slightly injured in the incident.
The ANF News website, which is close to the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), said a group called the "Immortals Battalion" had carried out the attack, citing a PKK statement.
The statement described the bombing as a "suicide attack" planned to coincide with the opening of parliament and carried out by "a team of ours linked to our Immortals Battalion," according to reporting from Reuters.
The Interior Ministry later stated that "one of the terrorists was identified as a member of PKK." The authorities also determined that the vehicle used in the attack belonged to a veterinarian in central Anatiolian Kayseri province and that he was killed while being extorted.
Many explosive materials, rocket launchers, and weapons were found at the scene.
The new legislative term of the Turkish Parliament was planned to begin on Oct. 1 with an opening ceremony. The attack took place in the area where the parliament and several ministries are located.
Eyewitnesses reported hearing gunshots after the explosion, but this information has not been confirmed. Half an hour after the explosion, another suspicious package near Kızılay Square was safely detonated.
Extraordinary security measures were put in place in the area, and roads were closed to traffic. As a precaution, numerous ambulances were dispatched to Kızılay, and bomb disposal teams conducted investigations in the area.
Following the attack, Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor's Office announced that an Ankara court issued a decision to impose access restriction and a broadcast ban regarding the attack.
More than 40,000 people have been killed in fighting between the PKK and the Turkish state which began in 1984. Turkey, the United States, and the European Union designate the PKK as a terrorist group.