Armed man takes P&G factory staff hostage in Turkey

Some staff at a Procter & Gamble factory in northwestern Turkey have been taken hostage by an armed man apparently protesting against Israel’s attacks on Gaza, Demiroren News Agency reported on Thursday.

An unidentified man carrying a gun 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 stand down.

The Kocaeli governor is 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.”