JINHA

HABER MERKEZİ – Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) politicians say the attack on the opposition party's Ankara headquarters last night was an "organized attack" designed to thwart the party's rise ahead of Turkey's June elections.

Unknown assailants armed with shotguns opened fire on the HDP headquarters, located onBüklümStreet in Ankara's Çankaya district, around 4 a.m. last night. Party officials were inside the building, but suffered no casualties. A police officer in front of the building at the time apparently fired on the assailants. They escaped the scene.

This is not the first armed attack on a building of the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP). The Ankara office, previously located in Balgat, had recently been moved to Büklüm Street. Recently, unknown assailants also attacked the party building in the southern city of Antalya.

Anti-terror police and forensic experts inspected the crime scene today.

"The attack was an organized one. It has been carried out by those who are afraid of the HDP'srise," said SırrıSüreyyaÖnder, running for Parliament with the HDP from Ankara, speaking to the press at the entrance to HDP headquarters today."We will continue to defend democratic peace in spite of all this."

HDP General Co-ChairSelahattinDemirtaş, in a speech on April 10, warned that the AKP would try to escalate tension out of its rising sense of panic ahead of the election.

“We’re going into an election, not a war," said SelahattinDemirtaş. "As they become increasingly panicked, the party in power will try to create tension by beating the war drum."

(nt/cm)