Moment suicide bomber blows himself up outside Turkish parliament
Shocking moment suicide bomber blows himself up outside Turkish parliament before his accomplice is shot dead by armed police as terror attack rocks Ankara
- Two armed men were seen rushing the government building in Ankara
- The suicide bomber was seemingly vapourised by his explosive device
- Meanwhile, the second assailant died in a shootout with Turkish cops
CCTV footage of the moment a suicide bomber and his accomplice rushed a government building in the heart of Turkey’s capital city has been published.
Two armed men can be seen rushing the Interior Ministry’s building, just north of the parliamentary building in Ankara, at around 9:30am local time on Sunday morning.
The men, who were driving a small grey vehicle, can be seen stopping in front of the building, before getting out and seemingly firing their guns as passers-by start running away.
As the first man reaches the building’s security entrance, he seemingly detonates the bomb he was carrying, obliterating him instantly.
Meanwhile, the second assailant can be seen walking through the cloud of dust created by his fellow attacker towards the Interior Ministry’s building.
The suicide bomber was consumed in a fireball as he walked up to the entrance of the government building
The two attackers arrived in a grey vehicle
Armed soldiers are currently posted in front of the Interior Ministry’s building
Minister Ali Yerlikaya, 54, said that the second assailant was killed in a shootout with police officers on Sunday, two of whom were injured during the attack in Turkey’s capital, Ankara.
He added that the two cops were hospitalised, but did not suffer serious injuries.
The Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), listed as a terror group by Turkey and its Western allies, have since claimed responsibility for the suicide bombing.
‘A sacrificial action was carried out against the Turkish Interior Ministry by a team from our Immortal Brigade,’ the PKK told the ANF news agency, which is close to the Kurdish movement.
Security forces have since set up barriers in the area, while TV footage showed bomb squads working near a parked vehicle in the area, located near the Turkish Grand National Assembly and other government buildings.
Police said earlier they were working to carry out controlled detonations of ‘suspicious package incidents’ in other parts of Ankara.
Turkish police have cordoned off the south side of the Interior Ministry building, while the road to the east of the building has been shut down.
A rocket launcher was seen on the road outside the Interior Ministry building
The rocket launcher was seen near the vehicle used by the assailants
At least one armoured vehicle was seen in the area, alongside the vehicle used by the attackers
Bomb squads were seen working on the car used by the assailants
Turkish bomb squads were seen in the area shortly after reports of the explosion came in
A rocket launcher was seen lying on the road outside the Interior Ministry building, just next to the vehicle used by the assailants.
Soldiers, as well as emergency services, are currently posted outside the government building.
Armed soldiers were also seen on top of nearby buildings.
The attack, the first Ankara has suffered since 2016, occurred hours before Turkey’s parliament was due to reopen following a three-month summer recess with a speech by the country’s president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Lawmakers were expected to be in the building at 2pm today.
Turkish police have cordoned off the south side of the Interior Ministry building
Police have cordoned off the south side of the Interior Ministry building
No group has yet come forward and claimed responsibility for the attack
Armed soldiers were seen on the roofs of nearby buildings
It is not currently known whether the attack claimed any lives or caused any more injuries.
Turkey’s interior minister said in a post on X, formerly Twitter, about the incident: ‘Our struggle will continue until the last terrorist is neutralised.’
Ankara’s chief prosecutor has launched an investigation into what it also called a terrorist attack.
Turkey’s justice minister, Yilmaz Tunc, said: ‘These attacks will in no way hinder Turkey’s fight against terrorism. Our fight against terrorism will continue even more determinedly. No one should doubt this.’
Kurdish and far-left militant groups, as well as ISIS, have carried out deadly attacks in Turkey in the recent past.
The most recent bomb attack in Turkey was in a shopping street in Istanbul in November 2022, where six were killed and 81 were injured.
There was no claim of responsibility, but Turkey accused the outlawed PKK group of being behind the attack and said it had detained 46 people including a Syrian woman suspected of planting the device.
The bombing took place in the popular shopping street of Istiklal Avenue on a Sunday afternoon.
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