Turkish Cypriot politicians on Wednesday night lined up to condemn a terrorist attack which killed four at the Turkish Aerospace Industries’ (Tusas) headquarters outside Ankara earlier in the day.
Turkish Cypriot leader Ersin Tatar offered his condolences to the families of those who were killed during the attack, while the north’s ‘prime minister’ Unal Ustel described it as “treacherous” and said it had been committed “to prevent Turkey’s success, especially in the defence industry”.
‘Health minister’ Hakan Dincyurek said, “such actions which target Turkey’s unity and solidarity can never achieve their goal”, while ‘transport minister’ Erhan Arikli also offered his condolences.
‘Interior minister’ Dursun Oguz said, “the Republic of Turkey will not bow down to such dark attempts … and will continue, as it has throughout its history, on its path by getting stronger”.
The cause of the attack and the identities of the perpetrators remained unclear on Wednesday evening, with no group having claimed responsibility. Anadolu Agency reported that an investigation into the matter has been launched.
Witnesses told Reuters employees inside the building were taken by authorities to shelters and that no one was permitted to leave for “a few hours”. They said the blasts they heard may have taken place at different exits as employees were leaving work for the day.
