Man storms HDP office in Turkey's Izmir, kills woman

A gunman has killed one person during an attack on the office of an opposition party in western Turkey.

The Peoples’ Democratic Party, or HDP, said on Thursday a gunman entered the building in Izmir province, fired shots and attempted to set the office on fire.

The provincial governor’s office said one person was killed. The office said a suspect, a former health worker, was detained.

Turkish media showed social media posts of the alleged attacker with guns and rifles.

HDP confirmed the shooting victim was Deniz Poyraz, a female party employee who had been covering a shift for her mother at the office.

The Izmir governor’s office said the assailant, a former health worker in his late 20s, stormed the office and shot Poyraz.

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Attack condemned

In a statement on Twitter, governing Justice and Development (AK) Party spokesperson Omer Celik condemned the attack and said Turkey “would never allow such provocations to disturb its peace.

HDP is the second-largest opposition party in Turkey's parliament.

HDP's co-leader, Mithat Sancar, said later at a news conference that the attack was an attempt to sow chaos. He added that a meeting with 40 party administrators at the office scheduled for around the time of the attack had been postponed at the last minute and claimed the assailant had aimed for a “massacre.”

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