Two police officers killed in bomb attack on Gaziantep police HQ in Turkey's southeast

GAZİANTEP

Two police officers were killed in a bomb attack on a police headquarters in the southeastern province of Gaziantep on the morning of May 1, Gov. Ali Yerlikaya has confirmed. 

At least 18 policemen and four civilians were injured in the suspected car bomb attack that was carried out around 9:20 a.m. 

Private broadcaster CNNTürk reported that the blast occurred in front of the barriers of the headquarters.

Two cars entered the area in front of the headquarters and started firing with automatic weapons, with police responding to the attack, reported daily Hürriyet. 

One of the cars managed to escape, while the second car exploded, according to reports. The police have begun a search to apprehend the other car involved in the attack. 

Footage from a CNNTürk broadcast showed pieces of a wrecked vehicle near the station’s gates, several ambulances and fire brigade trucks at the scene of the blast, which it said was felt from kilometers away.

The wounded were taken to a hospital, where one police officer succumbed to his injuries.

Security measures were increased in front of the aforementioned hospital.

Armored police teams and ambulances were sent to the area, as buildings surrounding the station were evacuated by the police after the attack. 

Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu said investigations into the attack are ongoing.

“We’ve reached significant information, but the Interior Ministry will make the necessary statement in due course,” Davutoğlu said.

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has received information about the attack from Interior Minister Efkan Ala and spoken on the phone with Governor Ali Yerlikaya, according to presidential sources. 

Meanwhile, Gaziantep’s International Workers’ Day celebrations were cancelled after the attack.