A gunman has taken seven workers hostage at a Procter & Gamble factory in Turkey in protest against the war in Gaza, police said.
Suspects stormed the main building of the Gebze factory on Thursday at around 2:20pm local time, holding seven people at gunpoint while other workers fled, according to Turkey’s IHA news agency.
“Earlier today, we evacuated our Gebze facility and are working with local authorities to resolve the urgent security situation,” US-based Procter & Gamble said in a statement. “The safety of P&G people and our partners is our top priority.”
The suspect, who has yet to be identified, allegedly jumped over the fence surrounding the factory and targeted workers in the factory’s cleaning and personal care units.
An unverified video was uploaded to social media of the scene, with the gunman said to be hiding his face as he spray-painted his support for Palestine on the walls of the factory.
Police cordoned off the road leading to a Procter & Gamble factory in Gebze, Turkey, after a gunman took seven workers hostage. AP footage from inside shows hostages sitting in a break room as part of a protest by gunmen against the war in Gaza. One of the hostages was able to call her husband to let him know that they were all fine for now.
Local resident Ismet Zihni said his wife, Suheyla, was among the hostages and had called him during the incident to tell her and six other workers were fine, Turkey’s Demiroren News Agency reported.
Special forces, police and first responders have been dispatched and are currently on the scene. Seddar Yavuz, the governor of Kocaeli, was in the province and was briefed on the standoff.
Cincinnati-based Procter & Gamble employs about 700 people at three sites in Istanbul and Kocaeli, including the Gebze plant. The factories primarily manufacture cleaning and hygiene products for brands such as Gillette and Oral-B.
The Turkish site serves as a hub for operations in eight countries, according to the company.
This is a developing story.
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
