AFP, Istanbul

An armed assailant yesterday raided a plant owned by the US consumer goods giant Procter & Gamble near Istanbul and took an undisclosed number of people hostage, Turkish media reported. The assailant appeared to be acting in protest at US support for Israel’s military assault in Gaza, the private DHA news agency reported. Turkish officials and police issued no immediate comment. It was not clear how many people were being held at the plant, which lies on the eastern outskirts of Istanbul. Images from the scenes showed police setting up a cordon around the sprawling plant, which primarily manufactures cosmetics. Special operation forces and medical personnel were dispatched to the scene, DHA reported. The health ministry in Gaza said yesterday at least 27,019 people have been killed in nearly four-month-long Israeli offensive in Gaza.