Esenboğa Airport attack
Encyclopedia
The Esenboğa International Airport attack was an attack on Esenboğa International Airport
in Ankara
, Turkey
, perpetrated by the "Pierre Gulumian commando" group from the Armenia
n militant organization ASALA
on August 7, 1982.
The bombing killed 9 people and injured some 72.
Then the gunmen ran into the cafeteria, and took 20 people hostage there. Security forces rushed into the cafeteria, killing Sarkissian and wounding and arresting Ekmekjian.
office in Beirut
, and said that it was a protest against "the Turkish fascist occupation of our land." The ASALA statement said that the responsibility for "the innocent victims" of the Ankara airport attack was "on the shoulders of the enemies of peaceful peoples: the Turkish Government, NATO and the United States." They also warned of further attacks in various Western countries unless 85 Armenians imprisoned in those countries were freed within seven days.
When Levon Ekmekjian was told by Turkish police that the gunmen had succeeded in killing nine people and wounding 72 others, he cried out furiously, "It wasn't enough!" However, during the trial by Ankara martial law command military court he said: "I came here motivated by a belief. However, after this incident, I understand how ridiculous and wrong that belief was."
Ekmekjian was found guilty of carrying out armed action with the aim of separating the whole or part of the state territory and placing it under the sovereignty of another state and sentenced to death on 7 September 1982.
While in prison, Ekmekjian wrote a letter, in which he expressed his remorse about killing innocent people and admonished other ASALA members to give up violence.
His appeal of the sentence was declined, and he was hanged on 29 January 1983.
President
Kenan Evren
issued a decree for the elimination of ASALA, while Prime Minister
Bülend Ulusu
condemned the attack.
Apolitical
Armenian Patriarch of Istanbul
and Turkish Armenians
condemned the attack with a declaration.
Artin Penik
, a Turk of Armenian descent, set himself on fire in protest of this attack on 10 August 1982 in Taksim Square
, Istanbul
.
Esenboga International Airport
Esenboğa International Airport , is an airport located northeast of Ankara, the capital city of Turkey. It has been operating since 1955. The name of the airport comes from the village of Esenboğa , which literally means "flying bull"....
in Ankara
Ankara
Ankara is the capital of Turkey and the country's second largest city after Istanbul. The city has a mean elevation of , and as of 2010 the metropolitan area in the entire Ankara Province had a population of 4.4 million....
, Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
, perpetrated by the "Pierre Gulumian commando" group from the Armenia
Armenia
Armenia , officially the Republic of Armenia , is a landlocked mountainous country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia...
n militant organization ASALA
Asala
Asala may refer to:* Armenian Secret Army for the Liberation of Armenia, a Marxist-Leninist guerrilla organization.* Asalah Nasri, Syrian singer* Al Asalah, a Salafist political party in Bahrain...
on August 7, 1982.
The bombing killed 9 people and injured some 72.
Background
Esenboğa International Airport is located 28 km (17.4 mi) northeast of Ankara, the capital city of Turkey. It has been operating since 1955.Attack
The attack was carried out by Zohrab Sarkissian and Levon Ekmekjian (Ekmekdjian, Ekmekçiyan), who exploded a bomb in the middle of the crowded check-in area at Ankara's Esenboğa Airport, and then opened fire with submachine guns on passport-control officers and passengers, going through passport control for a KLM flight. The witnesses said that one of the perpetrators had kept firing at the fleeing passengers while shouting, "More than a million of us died, what does it matter if 25 of you die?"Then the gunmen ran into the cafeteria, and took 20 people hostage there. Security forces rushed into the cafeteria, killing Sarkissian and wounding and arresting Ekmekjian.
Victims
As result of the attack and the ensuing two-hour shootout, 9 people were killed, and 72 were wounded. The dead included three Turkish police officers, three Turkish passengers and a airport personnel, an American woman, and a West German engineer. The US State Department confirmed that Jean Bosworth of Falmouth was killed by a bullet in the back and her husband, D.F. Bosworth, was seriously wounded. Ankara hospital officials said both were in their 60s.| Country | Dead |
|---|---|
 Turkey |
7 |
 West Germany |
1 |
 United States |
1 |
| Total | 9 |
Responsibility
ASALA claimed responsibility for the attack in a phone call and a communique delivered to the Associated PressAssociated Press
The Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
office in Beirut
Beirut
Beirut is the capital and largest city of Lebanon, with a population ranging from 1 million to more than 2 million . Located on a peninsula at the midpoint of Lebanon's Mediterranean coastline, it serves as the country's largest and main seaport, and also forms the Beirut Metropolitan...
, and said that it was a protest against "the Turkish fascist occupation of our land." The ASALA statement said that the responsibility for "the innocent victims" of the Ankara airport attack was "on the shoulders of the enemies of peaceful peoples: the Turkish Government, NATO and the United States." They also warned of further attacks in various Western countries unless 85 Armenians imprisoned in those countries were freed within seven days.
When Levon Ekmekjian was told by Turkish police that the gunmen had succeeded in killing nine people and wounding 72 others, he cried out furiously, "It wasn't enough!" However, during the trial by Ankara martial law command military court he said: "I came here motivated by a belief. However, after this incident, I understand how ridiculous and wrong that belief was."
Ekmekjian was found guilty of carrying out armed action with the aim of separating the whole or part of the state territory and placing it under the sovereignty of another state and sentenced to death on 7 September 1982.
While in prison, Ekmekjian wrote a letter, in which he expressed his remorse about killing innocent people and admonished other ASALA members to give up violence.
His appeal of the sentence was declined, and he was hanged on 29 January 1983.
Domestic response
PoliticalPresident
President of Turkey
The President of Turkey is the head of state of the Republic of Turkey. The presidency is largely a ceremonial office but has some important functions...
Kenan Evren
Kenan Evren
Ahmet Kenan Evren was the seventh President of Turkey; a post he assumed by leading the 1980 military coup. He was also the last president to be born in the Ottoman Empire.- Biography :...
issued a decree for the elimination of ASALA, while Prime Minister
Prime Minister of Turkey
The Prime Minister of the Turkey is the head of government in Turkish politics. The prime minister is the leader of a political coalition in the Turkish parliament and the leader of the cabinet....
Bülend Ulusu
Bülend Ulusu
Saim Bülend Ulusu was a Turkish admiral who was Prime Minister of Turkey from the time of the September 12, 1980 military coup to the time that elections were allowed in 1983.-Biography:...
condemned the attack.
Apolitical
Armenian Patriarch of Istanbul
Armenian Patriarch of Constantinople
The Armenian Patriarch of Constantinople also known as Armenian Patriarch of Istanbul is today head of The Armenian Patriarchate of Constantinople , one of the smallest Patriarchates of the Oriental Orthodox Church but one that has exerted a very significant political role and today still exercises...
and Turkish Armenians
Armenians in Turkey
Armenians in Turkey have an estimated population of 40,000 to 70,000 . Most are concentrated around Istanbul. The Armenians support their own newspapers and schools...
condemned the attack with a declaration.
Artin Penik
Artin Penik
Artin Penik was a Turkish-Armenian who committed suicide by self-immolation in protest of the terrorist Esenboga airport attack by the Armenian Secret Army for the Liberation of Armenia on August 10, 1982.Penik, a 61-year-old, self-employed tailor, set himself on fire in Taksim plaza, the main...
, a Turk of Armenian descent, set himself on fire in protest of this attack on 10 August 1982 in Taksim Square
Taksim Square
Taksim Square situated in the European part of Istanbul, Turkey, is a major shopping, tourist and leisure district famed for its restaurants, shops and hotels. It is considered the heart of modern Istanbul, with the central station of the Istanbul Metro network...
, Istanbul
Istanbul
Istanbul , historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople , is the largest city of Turkey. Istanbul metropolitan province had 13.26 million people living in it as of December, 2010, which is 18% of Turkey's population and the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Europe after London and...
.
See also
- Terrorism in Turkey
- Armenia–Turkey relations