A terrorist blew himself up by detonating an explosive at the entrance to the Turkish Ministry of Interior in Ankara this Sunday. Another terrorist was "neutralized" by police, after a shootout that ended with two officers in the hospital.
This was reported by Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya, who also detailed that the lives of the injured police officers are not at risk. "Our fight against terrorism and its collaborators, poison (drug) traffickers, gangs and organized crime will continue with determination," the minister promised in a post on X (Twitter).
İçişleri Bakanlığımız Emniyet Genel Müdürlüğü giriş kapısı önünde meydana gelen HAİN TERÖR SALDIRI GİRİŞİMİNDE yaralanan kahraman polislerimiz Alim Reis Demirel ve Erkan Karataş’ın tedavileri devam etmektedir.
Çok şükür hayati tehlikeleri bulunmuyor.
Kahramanlarımıza acil…— Ali Yerlikaya (@AliYerlikaya) October 1, 2023
Videos circulating on social media supposedly show the sequence of the attack. From the moment the vehicle was stolen, after they murdered its driver to the moment when the terrorists arrived and the bomb exploded, according to the statements of a Turkish official to Reuters.
Attention: the following images are graphic
NEW: Ankara attack footage from this morning. #Turkey pic.twitter.com/CshYPAB64H
— Ragıp Soylu (@ragipsoylu) October 1, 2023
Here is the footage from a different angle in Ankara attack #Turkey pic.twitter.com/O38Eu8Pyx4
— Ragıp Soylu (@ragipsoylu) October 1, 2023
The alert continues in Ankara
The Turkish authorities stopped the dissemination of images of the attack and restricted access to the city, according to AP. They also warned that they may have to carry out controlled explosions of suspicious packages.
The Minister of Justice, Yilmaz Tunc, announced that the Prosecutor's Office has begun an investigation into what he describes as a clear terrorist attack. At the moment, he did not provide further details.
İçişleri Bakanlığı Emniyet Genel Müdürlüğü önünde gerçekleştirilen terör saldırısını lanetliyorum. Yaralı polislerimize acil şifalar diliyorum.
Hain saldırı ile ilgili olarak Ankara Cumhuriyet Başsavcılığımızca derhal adli soruşturma başlatılmıştır. Olayla ilgili görevlendirilen…
— Yılmaz TUNÇ (@yilmaztunc) October 1, 2023
"Terrorists will never succeed"
Turkish Parliament building is near the site of the attack, which was scheduled to resume its agenda this Sunday after the summer recess.
The first attack in Ankara since 2016 will not change the work of parliamentarians, according to Al Jazeera. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan reassured legislators that "terrorists will never succeed," as reported in Al Jazeera.
Meanwhile, various international leaders have spoken out in solidarity with Turkey. Among them, are EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell and Sweden's foreign minister Tobias Billström.
The EU condemns the terrorist attack on the Turkish Ministry of Interior in Ankara, wounding several policemen.
We express solidarity with Türkiye and wish a speedy recovery to the injured.
— Josep Borrell Fontelles (@JosepBorrellF) October 1, 2023
Appalled by the sucide bomb in Ankara this morning. Sweden 🇸🇪 stands firm in its long-term commitment and partnership with Türkiye 🇹🇷 to fight all kinds of terrorism. I wish those injured a speedy recovery. @HakanFidan
— Tobias Billström (@TobiasBillstrom) October 1, 2023
The US embassy in Turkey also posted a statement regarding the events:
We strongly condemn the terrorist attack this morning against Türkiye, our NATO Ally. We offer our condolences to those injured and wish them a speedy recovery. We stand in solidarity with Türkiye against terrorism.
— U.S. Embassy Türkiye (@USEmbassyTurkey) October 1, 2023
