Suicide bombers attacked a government building Sunday in the Turkish capital of Ankara, one day before the country’s parliament was scheduled to reconvene after a three-month summer recess.
Two suspects carried out the bombing, according to interior minister Ali Yerlikaya, the Associated Press reported. One of the attackers reportedly lost his life after detonating an explosive device, while the other was fatally shot by the police, Yerlikaya added.
Around 9:30 a.m. Sunday, two individuals believed to be terrorists arrived at the entrance gate of the General Directorate of Security within the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Yerlikaya said on X. The pair then allegedly executed a bomb attack using a light commercial vehicle. Two police officers sustained minor injuries, per the minister’s statement. Yerlikaya concluded the post saying he’s hopeful for the speedy recovery of the officers injured. (RELATED: ‘The Killer’: Turkey Suggests US Involved In Istanbul Bomb Attack)
BREAKING 🚨 Terrorist attack in Turkey — Two terrorists carried out a bomb attack outside the ministry buildings in Ankara with one of them blowing himself up while the other was “neutralised” by authorities, the Turkish interior minister says pic.twitter.com/4vbYwoIQjV
— Insider Paper (@TheInsiderPaper) October 1, 2023
“Our heroic police officers, through their intuition, resisted the terrorists as soon as they got out of the vehicle,” Yerlikaya said in a statement, according to the AP. “One of them blew himself up while the other one was shot in the head before he had a chance to blow himself up.”
“Our fight against terrorism, their collaborators, the [drug] dealers, gangs and organized crime organizations will continue with determination,” the interior minister added.
No further information were given regarding the identity of the perpetrators behind the attack.