At least one police officer has been killed after a bomb exploded near a police headquarters in the Turkish city of Gaziantep, according to the city’s governor. At least 23 people have reportedly been injured in the blast.
Footage from the broadcaster Haberturk showed pieces of a wrecked vehicle near the gates of the station. Glass from windows in buildings in the vicinity have also been shattered, while all roads in the area have been closed for security purposes.
Gaziantep Olay Yeri
The governor of Gaziantep Ali Yerlikaya said that a law enforcement officer had been killed in the bomb blast. He added that at least 19 police officers and four civilians had been injured.
Police sources confirmed that an explosion rocked the police building and added the explosion was felt all over the city. There were also media reports of gunfire in the area after the bomb exploded.
It is understood that a car bomb detonated just outside the police headquarters, Cumhuriyet reports, while there were media reports of gunfire in the area after the bomb exploded.
The police station is close to a number of government office buildings including those of the governor and the mayor. The area is normally full of people, but was empty early on Sunday morning, according to AP. The International Labor Day demonstrations in the city were cancelled due to the potential security threat, the Dogan news agency reports.
No group has claimed responsibility for the attack.
Gaziantep is located in the south of Turkey near the border with Syria, which is controlled by Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL) forces. Since the emergence of the terror group in the summer of 2014, Gaziantep has been used as a stopping off point for numerous foreign jihadists looking to join up with IS in Syria.
In April, the Turkish authorities detained two alleged IS members in Gaziantep. It was believed the pair was planning suicide-bombing attacks in Gaziantep and other Turkish cities, according to the governor’s office.
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