Loud explosion heard near Turkish Parliament building, interior ministry dubs it 'terrorist attack'

A loud explosion was heard in the heart of the Turkish capital, Ankara on Sunday, media reports suggested.The cause of the explosion in an area near the Parliament and Ministry of Interior Affairs was not immediately known.

Turkish interior ministry has termed the blast as a "terrorist attack". Turkish interior minister Ali Yerlikaya said on X that two police officers were slightly injured in the incident at 09:30 am, news agency Reuters reported. 

"At around 09.30, 2 terrorists who came with a light commercial vehicle in front of the entrance gate of the General Directorate of Security of our Ministry of Internal Affairs, carried out a bomb attack. One of the terrorists blew himself up and the other terrorist was neutralized," the Turkish interior minister said in a post on X. 

"During the fire, 2 of our police officers were slightly injured. I wish a speedy recovery to our heroes. OUR STRUGGLE WILL CONTINUE RULESLESS UNTIL THE LAST TERRORIST IS NEUTRALIZED!" he further added. He also said that the assailants arrived at the scene in a light commercial vehicle (LCV). 

The minister further said that an attacker blew himself up in front of a ministry building and another was "neutralised". A video footage showed bomb squads working near a parked vehicle in the area. 

Some Turkish media reports suggested that the explosion was followed by a gunfire. Security forces have also set up barriers in the area. 

According to Turkish media reports, gunfire was also heard in the area. Following this, emergency services rushed to the scene. Meanwhile, the Parliament is scheduled to reopen on Sunday following a summer recess. The Parliament was set to reopen with an address by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. 

Meanwhile, Ankara's chief prosecutor has launched an investigation into what the interior ministry has dubbed as a "terror attack". Turkish authorities have not identified any specific militant group as being behind the incident. 

Kurdish and far-left militant groups as well as the Islamic State (IS) have also carried out grisly terror attacks throughout Turkey in the past. Ankara city police has cordoned off access to the city centre, according to an Associated Press report. 

(With agency inputs)

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