Turkey blocks all social media access after deadly aerospace attack

In an apparent response to Wednesday’s attack on the Turkish military's aerospace headquarters, all social media users are being blocked from accessing multiple platforms, including Elon Musk's X, and Meta's Instagram and Facebook.

The attack took place at TUSAS, Turkey’s largest defense aerospace company in Ankara and is owned by the government and operated by the Turkish Armed forces..

“Two attackers killed five people and wounded 22 others,” according to Reuters, with gunfire and explosions heard by nearby witnesses.

According to real-time metrics by NetBlocks, the open internet watchdog site, platforms X, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, and TikTok, were all restricted soon after the attack.

“Confirmed: Live metrics show social media platforms including X, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube and TikTok have been restricted in #Turkey,” NetBlocks posted in X.

“The incident comes as authorities impose a broadcast ban over today's deadly attack, “ the NetBlocks post continued.

⚠️ Confirmed: Live metrics show social media platforms including X, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube and TikTok have been restricted in #Turkey; the incident comes as authorities impose a broadcast ban over today's deadly attack on Turkish Aerospace Industries' headquarters in Ankara pic.twitter.com/6ChqiZxpRu

undefined NetBlocks (@netblocks) October 23, 2024

The Turkish government has been known to block access to social media sites, often under the guise of national security. Furthermore, there are currently about 57 million social media users in Turkey, according to official tallies.

In August, Instagram was blocked for nine days throughout the Middle Eastern nation as a response to the platform removing multiple condolence posts over the Israeli assassination of a key Hamas leader in Gaza.

The ban was extended beyond the Mark Zuckerberg-owned site to include the Roblox gaming platform, and at least 27 Virtual private network (VPN) providers, including Nord and Surfshark.

Additionally, in November 2022, a deadly bombing in Istanbul also triggered the government to crackdown on social media platforms.

According to the Turkish non-profit organization Freedom of Expression Association (İFÖD), which advocates for and protects such freedoms, in 2022 alone, Turkey’s Information Technologies and Communication Authority (ICTA) banned access to nearly 138,000 websites, the news outlet said.

Local broadcast footage captured of Wednesday’s attack – thought to be terror-related and carried out by the Kurdistan Workers' Party, commonly referred to as the PKK – showed the two attackers carrying assault rifles and backpacks and a damaged entrance gate, the Reuters report said.

TUSAS employs about 10,000 people and produces training craft, the nation’s first jet fighter, as well as combat and civilian helicopters.

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan condemned the attack, as did the US, EU, NATO, and Russia.