Turkish Aerospace Industries HQ Attacked

Five are dead and at least 22 injured in what is described as a terrorist attack earlier today (Oct. 23) on the Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI) headquarters outside Ankara, Turkey. Surveillance videos aired by news broadcasts show two armed assailants arriving at the front gate in a taxi and storming the entrance. There was also an explosion, which some reports said was a suicide bombing.

The attack occurred during a shift change at the factory, which meant that many employees were in the area of the gates. In a BBC report, Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya is quoted saying that the two attackers, described as a woman and a man, were "neutralized." Yerlikaya said the attack most likely involved the Kurdish separatist organization Kurdistan Workers Party, known as the PKK, according to the BBC.

TAI builds drones as military targets as well as serving agricultural needs. The company is also a licensed producer of the General Dynamics F-16 as well as CASA/IPTN CN-235 turboprop-twin utility aircraft with transport, maritime patrol and surveillance applications. TAI also produces SIAI-Marchetti SF.260 trainers and Cougar AS-532 helicopters for military applications.