Two gunmen stormed a Procter & Gamble factory in Turkey and held seven workers hostage for several hours in protest over the war in Gaza, police said.
February 2, 2024, New York Post
The suspects raided the Gebze plant’s main building on Thursday at around 2:20 p.m. local time, holding the seven at gunpoint while the rest of the employees fled, according to Turkey’s DHA news agency.
One of the men was described as wearing what appeared to be a rudimentary “explosives belt.”
The hostages were freed hours later without harm after security forces raided the building when one of the gunmen went to the bathroom, according to local governor Seddar Yavuz.
The assailants have since been detained, he added.
“Earlier today, we evacuated our Gebze facility and are working with local authorities to resolve an 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 suspects, who have yet to be identified, allegedly hopped over the fence surrounding the plant and targeted employees in the factory’s field of cleaning and personal care unit.
Unverified videos have been uploaded to social media of the scene, with the alleged gunman hiding his face as he spray painted his support for Palestine on the factory walls.
“The gates will open. Either musalla or death for Gaza,” the graffiti reads. 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 she and the other six workers were OK, Turkey’s Demiroren News Agency reported.
“She answered, ‘We’ve been taken hostage, we’re fine,’ and she hung up,” he said.
Some of the hostages had been allegedly celebrating the birthday of a co-worker when the incident occurred, according to DHA.
Special forces, police and first responders were quickly dispatched to the scene.
Procter & Gamble, based in Cincinnati, employs about 700 people at three sites in Istanbul and Kocaeli, including the Gebze plant. The factories mainly produce cleaning and hygiene products for brands like Gillette and Oral-B.
The Turkish sites serve as a hub for operations in eight countries, according to the company.