A suicide bomber detonated an explosive device in the heart of Ankara, Turkey, while a second assailant was killed in a shootout with police. The attack occurred just hours before Turkey’s Parliament reopened after a three-month summer recess, where President Recep Tayyip Erdogan was scheduled to give an address. Two police officers sustained minor injuries in the bombing near the Ministry of Interior Affairs.
Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya confirmed that the assailants arrived at the scene in a light commercial vehicle. The police officers, acting on their intuition, confronted the terrorists as they exited the vehicle. One of the attackers detonated the explosive, while the other was shot in the head before he could carry out his plan.
The interior minister did not disclose the identity of the perpetrators, but ANF News, a news agency linked to the banned Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), reported that the group claimed responsibility for the attack. Leftist extremists and the Islamic State group have also been responsible for previous deadly attacks in Turkey.
President Erdogan delivered his speech in Parliament as planned, referring to the attack as “the last stand of terrorism.” He reiterated his government’s commitment to establishing a 30-kilometer safe zone along Turkey’s border with Syria to enhance security.
The Turkish authorities have launched an investigation into the attack, and security measures have been heightened in Ankara. The United States, Egypt, and other foreign missions condemned the attack.
The incident occurred in Ankara, the capital city of Turkey.
