According to Turkish media, the Turkish Parliament as well as many other ministries are located in the district which was targeted by the terrorists. Turkey's Parliament was to reopen today after the holiday.
Ankara: A loud blast was heard after a suicide bomber detonated an explosive device on Sunday in the heart of the Turkish capital, Ankara, close to parliament which was due to open its new session later in the day after a summer recess, Turkish media reports said. A second assailant was killed in a shootout with police.
A minister says a suicide bomber detonated an explosive device in the Turkish capital, injuring 2 police officers. One of the terrorists blew himself up and the other was neutralized, he said further.
An explosion is followed by gunshots which injured 2 officers and in retaliation two terrorists killed.
“Two militants arrived in a light commercial military vehicle at around 9:30 am (0630 GMT), in front of the entrance gate of the General Directorate of Security of our Ministry of the Interior, and carried out a bomb attack,” the ministry said.
There was no immediate information on the assailants. Kurdish and far-left militant groups as well as the Islamic State group have carried out deadly attacks throughout the country in the past.
The cause of the explosion in an area near the Parliament and Ministry of Interior Affairs is yet to be ascertains. There was no immediate reports of any casualties.
Parliament is scheduled to reopen on Sunday following a summer recess. Security forces have set up barriers in the area.
Site visuals shows bomb squads working near a parked vehicle in the area which is located near the Turkish Grand National Assembly and other government buildings. Police cordoned off access to the city center. The two police personnel were being treated in a hospital and were not in serious condition, according to media reports.
