2 dead in explosion near courthouse in Izmir
Baku, January 6, AZERTAC
Two people were killed in an explosion Thursday near a courthouse in the city of Izmir in western Turkey, according to the country's Anadolu news agency.
A police officer and a courthouse staff member died in the attack, the agency said. Nine people were hospitalized with injuries, according to Izmir Gov. Erol Ayyildiz, who blamed PKK for the attack.
Police had stopped a suspicious vehicle at a checkpoint in front of the courthouse, which led to an armed clash between attackers and security forces, Ayyildiz said. During the clash, the attackers "detonated a car bomb as they tried to escape," he told reporters.
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