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UPDATE:

Note: The following text is a quote:

https://www.osac.gov/Reports/report.cfm?contentID=68680

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Ankara Attack Causes Fatalities, Injuries
Safety & Security
Europe - Turkey
22 May 2007

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The following report is a compilation of open source and constituent reporting:

Summary

On May 22 at 6:45 p.m., a suicide bombing took place at a shopping mall across from the first Parliament building in Ankara’s Ulus district, reportedly killing at least six people and injuring more than 100. The blast is the second explosion in Turkey in ten days. On May 12, a bomb exploded in an open bazaar in the Izmir’s Bornova district, killing at least one person and injuring nearly 14 others.

Significant Events

The May 22 Ankara explosion occurred during rush hour near the entrance of the Anafartalar shopping center in the Ulus district. The area is the busiest commercial neighborhood in Ankara, known for its tourist sites and bazaars. The device, an A-4 plastic explosive, was detonated by a suicide bomber at a bus stop near the shopping center.

Initial investigations by the authorities revealed the attack was carried out by a single suicide bomber. Human remains found at the scene, as well as the absence of a deep-crater impact, a general indication of a planted bomb, have led authorities to the conclusion that the attack was conducted by a single suicide bomber. Furthermore, Turkish officials announced on May 23 the identity of the attacker as 28-year-old Guven Akkus. Akkus spent two years in Turkish prison for hanging illegal posters and resisting police. It is not clear whether the man was affiliated with the separatist Kurdish rebel group Kongra Gel (KGK, formerly PKK). According to press reports, eyewitnesses said they had seen five suspicious-looking people in the area prior to the explosion. Two people have been taken into custody for questioning.

In a separate incident, media reported that on Wednesday, May 23, two possible suicide bombers were detained by authorities in southern Turkey. A female was detained in Adana with A-4 explosives. Another male was detained in Mardin with an explosive belt consisting of the same type of explosives. Both suspects detained on Wednesday are suspected KGK/PKK militants.

Historically, A-4 type bombs have been used by suspected KGK/PKK militants. In March and April 2007 several A-4 type explosives were found and defused by authorities throughout Turkey. Click here for further information on the explosives found in March and April. Turkish officials publicly stated on Wednesday concern that similar attacks may be carried out in metropolitan and tourist locations.

Private Sector Impact

The International Defense Fair (IDEF) 2007 is currently being held in Ankara. The IDEF is attended by government officials and members of the defense sector from 52 countries. Around the time of the Ankara attack, IDEF attendees were planning to leave for a reception held at the Museum of Anatolian Civilization. The route to the reception included the road where the attack took place. The reception attendees, which included Turkish force commanders, 10 foreign defense ministers and four foreign chiefs of staff, were to travel passed the road where the attack took place.

OSAC has not received any reports of American citizen injuries or deaths relating to this attack. Additionally, there have been no reports of direct impact on U.S. private sector presence in Turkey. However, constituents have expressed to OSAC’s Eastern Europe Regional Coordinator their security concerns in Turkey as a result of the May 22 attack. Please see the Warden Message issued by U.S. Embassy Ankara on April 19 regarding security concerns during the spring and summer months. OSAC will continue to monitor the situation and provide updates as they come in.

To complete a brief survey that will be used to produce a report for OSAC constituents on the private sector’s response to the May 22 attack in Ankara, please click here.