A suicide bomber detonated an explosive device in the heart of the Turkish capital, Ankara, on Sunday, hours before parliament reopened after a three-month summer break. A second attacker was killed in a shootout with police, the interior minister said.
Two police officers were slightly injured during the attack near an entrance to the Interior Ministry, Minister Ali Yerlikaya said on X (formerly Twitter).
The attack took place as parliament was due to reopen with a speech by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
There was no immediate information on the attackers. In the past, Kurdish and far-left militant groups as well as the Islamic State group have carried out deadly attacks across the country.
Minister Yerlikaya said the attackers arrived at the scene inside a light commercial vehicle early Sunday.
Television footage showed bomb disposal teams working near a vehicle parked in the area, located near Turkey’s Grand National Assembly and other government buildings. A rocket launcher was seen near the vehicle.
Justice Minister Yilmaz Tunc said an investigation had been opened into a “terrorist attack”.
“These attacks will in no way hamper Turkey’s fight against terrorism,” he wrote on X. “Our fight against terrorism will continue with greater determination. »
Police restricted access to the city center and increased security measures, warning citizens that they would carry out controlled explosions of suspicious packages.
The two police officers injured in the explosion were being treated at a hospital and were not in serious condition, Yerlikaya said.
Egypt, which normalized ties with Turkey after a decade of tensions, condemned the attack. A terse statement from the Foreign Ministry offered Egypt’s solidarity to Turkey.
The US Embassy in Ankara also condemned the attack, saying it stood in solidarity with Turkey.
President Erdogan’s speech will be closely monitored to see when the Turkish parliament can ratify Sweden’s membership in NATO.
Stockholm applied for NATO membership alongside Finland after Russia invaded Ukraine last year. While Finland has since joined, Turkey has blocked Sweden’s membership in the military alliance, accusing it of being soft on groups Turkey views as security threats. Only Turkey and Hungary have not yet ratified Sweden’s membership.