Turkish police officer, courthouse employee killed in blast
2 attackers shot dead after car bomb hits Aegean coastal city of Izmir
A car bomb struck near a courthouse in the western Turkish city of Izmir on Thursday and was followed by a shootout between three of the assailants and police.
A police officer and a courthouse employee were killed while the gunfight left two of the assailants dead.
The explosion occurred near a courthouse entrance that is used by judges, prosecutors and other employees.
- 'Scared and extremely angry': Turkey's new state of mind
- TIMELINE | Major attacks in Turkey over the past year
"A clash erupted after our police officers wanted to stop a vehicle at a police checkpoint in front of Bayrakli courthouse," provincial Gov. Erol Ayyildiz told reporters.
"In this clash, terrorists detonated the car bomb while trying to escape."
Two assailants were killed in the ensuing firefight, he said.
The attackers were armed with Kalashnikov assault rifles, hand-grenades and three larger explosives, according to Ayyildiz. Police found another car with explosives inside, and destroyed it with a controlled detonation, he said.
Ayyildiz said the findings so far suggest the attack was the work of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK). The militant group has carried out a string of attacks in the past year and a half that mainly targeted Turkey's security forces.
Ayyildiz said "six or seven" people were wounded Thursday. Earlier reports said as many as 10 had been hurt.
Turkey's state-run news agency said police are looking for a third suspect who was on the run, described as wearing a black coat and a white beret.
Remember, <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Izmir?src=hash">#Izmir</a> is where dozens of ppl were detained yesterday in connection w/ <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Reina?src=hash">#Reina</a> nightclub shooting in <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/istanbul?src=hash">#istanbul</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/cbc?src=hash">#cbc</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/CBCAlerts">@cbcalerts</a>
—@nilkoksalcbcThe incident follows a string of attacks, carried out by the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria or Kurdish militants, that have left Turkey on edge.
Thirty-nine people were killed in a nightclub attack in Istanbul during New Year's celebrations. ISIS claimed that attack. On Wednesday, police had detained some 20 people in Izmir believed to have links to the nightclub attacker who is still at large.
State-run Anadolu Agency said preliminary reports said two police officers were among the wounded who were taken to nearby hospitals.
With files from CBC News