Armed man takes US factory staff hostage in Turkey; protests about Gaza

An armed man took staff hostage at a Procter & Gamble PG.N factory in northwestern Turkey on Thursday in apparent protest against Israel’s attacks on Gaza, Demiroren News Agency reported.

The unidentified man entered the factory in Gebze industrial zone in Kocaeli province around 3 p.m. (1200 GMT), Demiroren said, adding that police rushed to the scene and were trying to persuade him to give himself up.

The Kocaeli governor was on his way to the scene, according to private NTV. Turkish authorities have not issued any statement on the incident.

A photo released by local media showed a man inside the factory whose face was covered with a Palestinian scarf and who was wearing what looked possibly like an explosive device.

Another photo showed the man holding a gun in one hand and making a ‘V’ sign with his other hand in front of a wall on which Turkish and Palestinian flags were painted with a script that reads: “Gates will open. Either coffin rest or death for Gaza.”

(Reuters)