Suspected attacker captured in front of Prime Ministry building in Ankara

ANKARA

Police set up a security cordon in the wake of the incident. DAILY NEWS photo/ Selahattin SÖNMEZ

A man wearing a device that resembled a bomb has been captured by security guards on Vekaletler Avenue in Ankara, after attempting to enter the Prime Ministry building Nov. 21.

The Interior Minister Muammer Güler said the man was not carrying a bombing device, but he had psychological problems, Anadolu Agency reported.

The suspect reportedly denounced himself to the police shortly before the incident, saying he would stage a bombing on the Prime Ministry. The Prime Ministry’s security guards jumped onto the 52-year-old suspect, identified as Tuğrul Bayır, when he refused to stop for an identity check by police officers near the building.

The suspect told security forces that he had financial problems and credit card debt. The suspect had no criminal record and did not have real explosives on him. The Prime Ministry Protection Department head Ramazan Bal told reporters Nov. 21 the suspect was not wounded and this will be seen when he appears in court today.

The state-run Anadolu Agency had earlier reported the suspect was hospitalized after being shot in the foot. However, the agency later announced the police officers captured the man after firing three warning shots into the air.

Video footage showed intense security measures being taken around the building in the wake of the incident.