Suicide bomber detonates explosive device in Turkish capital

Turkey’s interior affairs minister says a suicide bomber detonated an explosive device near his ministry in Ankara on Sunday, while a second assailant was killed in a shootout with police.

“Two terrorists arrived in a commercial vehicle at around 9.30 am (6.30 am GMT) in front of the entrance gate to the General Directorate of Security of our Ministry of the Interior and carried out a bomb attack”, Ali Yerlikaya said, adding that two police officers were injured.

“One of the terrorists blew himself up and the other was neutralised. Two of our police officers were slightly injured” by the flames caused by the explosion, the ministry said on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter. 

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.

Yerlikaya said the assailants arrived at the scene inside a light commercial vehicle. 

The district targeted is home to many ministries and the parliament, which is due to open its new working session later today and which the head of state, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, was due to address, according to the Turkish media.

The private television channel NTV reported gunfire in the district, which was completely sealed off and where numerous police vehicles and ambulances were deployed.

Television footage showed bomb squads working near a parked vehicle in the area. 

The two police officers are being treated in a hospital and are not in serious condition, media reports said. 

Our journalists are working on this story and will update it as soon as more information becomes available.