Two gunmen stormed a Procter & Gamble factory in Turkey and held seven workers hostage for several hours to protest the war in Gaza, police said.
The suspects raided the main building of the Gebze plant on Thursday around 2:20 p.m. local time, targeting the seven while the rest of the employees fled, according to Turkish news agency DHA.
One of the men was described as wearing what appeared to be a rudimentary “explosives belt.”
The hostages were released hours later unharmed after security forces raided the building when one of the gunmen went to the bathroom, according to local governor Seddar Yavuz.
The attackers have already been arrested, he added.
“Earlier today, we evacuated our Gebze facility and are working with local authorities to resolve an urgent security situation,” U.S.-based Procter & Gamble said in a statement. “The safety of P&G people and our partners is our top priority.”
Police cordoned off the road leading to the Procter & Gamble factory in Gebze, Turkey, after a gunman took seven workers hostage. AP images from inside show the hostages sitting in a break room as part of the gunman’s protest over the war in Gaza. One of the hostages was able to call her husband to tell him that everything was fine for the moment.
The suspects, who have not yet been identified, allegedly jumped over the fence surrounding the plant and attacked employees in the factory’s cleaning and personal care unit.
Unverified videos of the scene have been uploaded to social media, in which the alleged gunman hides his face while spray painting his support for Palestine on the walls of the factory.
“The doors will open. Either musalla or death for Gaza,” the graffiti says. A musallas is an open prayer for Muslims, typically for funeral rites.
Local resident Ismet Zihni said his wife, Suheyla, was among the hostages and had called him during the incident to tell him that she and the six other workers were fine, Turkish news agency Demiroren reported.
“She responded, ‘They’ve taken us hostage, we’re fine,’ and hung up,” he said.
According to the DHA, some of the hostages were allegedly celebrating a co-worker’s birthday when the incident occurred.
Special forces, police and first responders were quickly dispatched to the scene.
Cincinnati-based Procter & Gamble employs about 700 people at three plants in Istanbul and Kocaeli, including the Gebze plant. The factories mainly produce cleaning and hygiene products for brands such as Gillette and Oral-B.
According to the company, the Turkish facilities serve as a center of operations in eight countries.
With post cables
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Source: vtt.edu.vn