ANKARA — 1982 · Major Tragedy
Esenboğa Airport Attack
On 7 August 1982 two gunmen from the Armenian militant group ASALA attacked the crowded international terminal of Ankara's Esenboğa Airport. They set off an explosive in the check-in area and then opened fire on passport-control officers and passengers. One attacker took a group of people hostage in the cafeteria. Nine people were killed and 72 injured, and one of the attackers also died. The other, Levon Ekmekjian, was captured wounded, tried by a martial-law court, sentenced to death and executed in Ankara in January 1983. The attack is recorded as one of ASALA's deadliest operations inside Turkey. It is recorded as part of the series of ASALA attacks on Turkish diplomats and institutions in the 1970s and 1980s.
- Date
- 1982
- Place
- Çubuk (Esenboğa), Ankara
- Category
- Major Tragedy
- Case Status
- Solved
- Coordinates
- 40.1280, 32.9950 ↗
Timeline of Events
- 7 Aug 1982Two gunmen attack the international terminal
- 7 Aug 1982Hostage standoff in cafeteria; one attacker killed, the other captured
- Aug 1982Toll: 9 dead, 72 injured
- Jan 1983Captured attacker Levon Ekmekjian executed
Sources
- TIME — Turkey: A Cry for Bloody Vengeance content.time.com ↗
- Vikipedi — Esenboğa Havalimanı saldırısı tr.wikipedia.org ↗
- bianet — Where is the Grave of Levon Ekmekjian? bianet.org ↗
- TIME
- Wikipedia
- bianet
Source grade A: several independent sources, at least one an official record or reference work. If you spot a mistake or something missing, report it with "Suggest a correction" in the app.
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🕯️ This record was prepared with respect, in memory of those who lost their lives.