A man held a gun to his head in front of the Turkish Prime Minister's office in Ankara on Monday in protest against economic conditions before surrendering to bodyguards, a Reuters reporter at the scene said.

The man, who was alone, gave a letter to police before being led away by security officials.

"I'm in economic crisis, I can not get out of this," the man, who looked to be in his 50s, said as he was taken away. It was not immediately known if his gun was loaded.

Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan, who was scheduled to hold a weekly cabinet meeting in his office, was not in the building at the time. Some ministers were inside the heavily fortified building in the central Kizilay district.

Turkey's economy has been severely hit by the global economic crisis. Unemployment stands at more than 12 percent, its highest level in nearly five years.


Reuters

Güncelleme Tarihi: 02 Mart 2009, 17:12