📛#BREAKING | A bomb exploded near the Ministry of Interior in the Turkish capital Ankara on Sunday morning as preparations were underway for the reopening of the country's parliament.#Ankara | #Kizilayhttps://t.co/vBD4PFXAfp pic.twitter.com/KH7tyjsXU1
— MedyaNews (@1MedyaNews) October 1, 2023
Further information is emerging in relation to this (Sunday) morning’s bombing outside Ankara’s main police headquarters.
Updated at 14:30 (CET)
Authorities have identified the stolen vehicle used in the attack and traced it back to a veterinarian, Mikail Bozloğan, who was killed by the attackers.
According to local media, the attackers seized the vehicle used in the Ankara bombing from Bozloğan, who lived in a village in Kayseri. They stopped him on the road and shot him in the head, killing him, before dumping his body in a ravine. The body was found on Sunday.
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The US Embassy in Ankara has issued a security alert following the attempted bombing of Ankara Police Headquarters, asking its citizens to stay away from the area.
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A firearm resembling a lava gun was seen just behind the vehicle in which the explosion occurred.
There has been no official statement about the weapon or the identity of the attackers.
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Turkey’s Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya told a press conference that the government was “unwavering in its commitment to fight various threats, including terrorist organisations, drug traffickers and organised crime syndicates”. He assured the public that more details would be released as they become available.
Yerlikaya also thanked the Minister of Justice, Ankara Chief State Prosecutor and the President of the Supreme Council of Radio and Television (RTÜK) for swiftly implementing a broadcast ban following the attack. He warned individuals who had shared graphic images of the incident on social media platforms that the government was determined to identify the source of these images and urged those responsible to delete them.
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A bomb exploded near the Ministry of Interior in the Turkish capital of Ankara on Sunday morning, as preparations were underway for the reopening of parliament following the holidays.
Citizens heard the sound of an explosion in the central neighbourhood of Kızılay, followed by gunshots and ambulance sirens.
Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya confirmed that a bomb attack had been carried out at the Security General Directorate around 09:30 local time. According to the minister, the attack was conducted by two bombers who arrived outside the entrance gate of the police headquarters in a commercial vehicle.
“One of the terrorists blew himself up, the other one was neutralised. Two of our police officers sustained minor injuries in the gunfire”, said Yerlikaya. The Interior Minister did not provide any further details about the identities or affiliations of the bombers.
There was a second explosion 400-500 meters away shortly afterwards, but local police authorities confirmed that this was a controlled explosion. It was reported that bomb disposal teams were disposing of packages found in the vehicle the alleged bombers had arrived in.
Following the attack, entry and exit points to the parliament building were blocked and a central boulevard was closed to traffic.
Ankara’s Chief State Prosecution initiated an investigation into the attack, leading to access restrictions and a ban on publication of related information.
