Incident Summary:

07/15/2016: A helicopter opened fire on the General Staff headquarters in Ankara, Turkey. Five civilians and a police officer were killed in the attack. This was one of 20 coordinated attacks carried out in Turkey overnight. The Peace at Home Council claimed responsibility for the incident and stated that individuals who "have betrayed the country" would stand trial. The Turkish government claimed that Fethullah Gülen (in exile) and the "Fetullah Terrorist Organization" were behind the attempted coup, leading to the arrest of tens of thousands of alleged Gülen supporters. Gülen denied involvement and denounced military intervention.

GTD ID:
201607150039

When:
2016-07-15

Country:
Turkey

Region:
Middle East & North Africa

Province/administrative
region/u.s. state:

Ankara

City:
Ankara

Attack Information
Type of Attack (more) Armed Assault
Successful Attack? (more) Yes
Target Information (more)
Target Type: Military
Name of Entity Turkish Land Forces
Specific Description General Staff Headquaters
Nationality of Target Turkey
Target Type: Private Citizens & Property
Name of Entity Not Applicable
Specific Description Civilians
Nationality of Target Turkey
Additional Information
Hostages No
Ransom No
Property Damage No
Weapon Information
Type Sub-type
Firearms Automatic Weapon
Weapon Details
Automatic firearms on a helicopter were used in the attack.
Additional Information
Suicide Attack?No
Part of Multiple Incident?Yes
Criterion 1 (more) Yes
Criterion 2 (more) Yes
Criterion 3 (more) Yes
Doubt Terrorism Proper (more) No
Additional Information This incident occurred within the context of an attempted coup. This incident is part of a set of coordinated attacks in which both military and non-military entities were targeted.
Perpetrator Group Information
Group Name Claimed Responsibility
Peace at Home Council Yes (Confirmed: Unknown; Mode: Posted to website, blog, etc.)
Perpetrator Statistics
Number of Perpetrators Unknown
Number of Captured Perpetrators 0
Casualty Information
Total Number of Casualties 6 Fatalities / 0 Injured
Total Number of Fatalities 6
Number of U.S. Fatalities 0
Number of Perpetrator Fatalities 0
Total Number of Injured 0
Number of U.S. Injured 0
Number of Perpetrators Injured 0
Sources
"Policeman wounded in July 15 bombing succumbs to injuries," Anadolu Ajansi, July 31, 2016.
"164 martyred during coup attempt," Anadolu Agency (AA), July 17, 2016.
"Turkey's Erdogan Calls Citizens to Streets, Airports To Resist Coup Attempt; Blames Gulen Movement," Hurriyet Daily News Online, July 15, 2016.