An armed man is holding seven employees hostage in a factory of the American group Procter & Gamble (P&G) located on the outskirts of Istanbul, in northwestern Turkey.
The man allegedly justified his act by denouncing Israeli military operations in the Gaza Strip.
The images released by the Turkish press show police cars blocking access to the factory.
The man allegedly threatened to "shoot in all directions" if the police intervened.
This was announced by the husband of one of the women taken hostage.
"If he is doing all this for Palestine, then let him go and fight there. What does my 26-year-old daughter have to do with it?", asked Çigdem Aydemir, the mother of one of the hostage employees.
“I can only pray,” she added.
Anxiety and fear are growing among the families of the kidnapped people that the matter could drag on into the night.
"We have no information from inside. We have been waiting for hours but none of those responsible have made any statements", complained the father of another hostage, refusing to reveal his identity.
Turkish Haberturk television reported that Istanbul police had established contact with the man.
The police are trying to negotiate the release of the hostages.
"The workers have been evacuated from the factory, but seven workers remain hostage. The boss is responsible for their safety", specified the Umut-Sen union in a message published on partially masked by a keffiyeh, wearing explosives tied around his torso and holding what appears to be a small pistol in his right hand.
A sign "For Gaza" appears behind him painted in red on a wall.
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The Turkish workers' union Umut-Sen reported on X that "the man who took seven factory workers hostage" "worked as a subcontractor in the facility which he then left about ten days ago".
The union added that "an ambulance entered the factory", that "the workers have been evacuated, but seven of them remain hostage" and that "the boss is responsible for their safety".
A spokesperson for the American home and hygiene products manufacturer Procter & Gamble confirmed to AFP that its factory in Gebze, east of Istanbul, where 500 people are employed, had been "evacuated".
"We are working with local authorities to resolve an urgent security situation," he added.
Turkish media state that special police forces have been sent to the site and that the road in front of the factory has been closed to vehicle and pedestrian traffic.
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