The explosion occurred in the Turkish capital’s parliamentary district, which also houses several ministries. The start of the new session was scheduled for Sunday in Parliament, and the Head of State, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, wanted to make a speech.
According to government reports, Turkish police prevented a second explosion following the attack. One of the two attackers blew himself up in front of the ministry, the other was prevented from doing so, said Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya. He asked people to delete images of the incident on social media. Investigations have already been launched against users.
Controlled demolitions carried out
Following the attack, Turkish police bomb disposal teams carried out controlled explosions. There is no reason to panic, the police informed the population of the Turkish capital on Twitter this Sunday (X). He said there had been incidents of “suspicious packages.”
Explosion near the Turkish parliament in Ankara
A powerful explosion rocked the Turkish capital, Ankara, near parliament this morning. The Interior Ministry said two terrorists approached the entrance of the ministry’s security directorate in a van at around 9:30 am local time (8:30 am CEST) and carried out an explosive attack there.
NTV broadcaster reported that the second attacker also had explosives on his body, which were detonated in a controlled manner. The center was largely isolated. In addition to the two dead attackers, two police officers were slightly injured.
Attorney General’s Office begins investigation
According to the Minister of the Interior, both police officers are receiving medical treatment. Ankara’s Prosecutor General’s Office has opened an investigation into a terrorist attack, Portal news agency reported, citing Turkish media.
Portal/Cagla Gurdogan A bomb squad in Ankara
In addition, a news blackout on the issue was imposed, the state-run Anadolu news agency reported. The Attorney General’s Office also described the attack as “terrorist.” Authorities did not initially name a specific militant group that might be behind it.
Erdogan: “Last contraction” of terror
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan described the attack as the “final spasms of terror”. The “villains” did not achieve their objectives and would never achieve them, the Turkish head of state said Sunday in the Ankara parliament, according to the state news agency Anadolu.
The Austrian Foreign Ministry condemned the “heinous attack” in central Ankara on Sunday and wished those injured a speedy recovery. “We reject all forms of terrorism and stand in solidarity with Turkey,” the ministry said in a statement distributed via Twitter.
Portal/Cagla Gurdogan An ambulance near the Ministry of Interior in Ankara
NATO stands in solidarity with Turkey in the fight against terrorism, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg also wrote on Twitter. He wishes the injured officers a speedy and full recovery.
Last attack in Ankara in 2015
Images from the Portal news agency show soldiers, rescue cars, fire engines and an armored vehicle in the city center. Police blocked several streets there. Media had previously reported that an explosion was heard near parliament and ministries in Ankara. According to broadcaster NTV, the explosion also occurred a few hundred meters from the entrance to parliament. The meeting is scheduled for Sunday for the first time since the summer holidays.
The explosion occurred almost a year after the attack on a busy pedestrian street in central Istanbul on November 13, 2022, which killed six people and injured 81. Turkey blamed Kurdish activists for this. Ankara has been spared attacks in recent years. The last attack occurred in 2015, when more than 100 people died in bomb blasts at the main railway station. It is said that the Islamic State (IS) was responsible for this.