Explosion hits Turkish city of Izmir, ambulances dispatched - CNN Turk

Rescue teams arrive at the scene after an explosion outside a courthouse in Izmir, Turkey, January 5, 2017. REUTERS/Tuncay Dersinlioglu

ANKARA (Reuters) - Suspected Kurdish militants clashed with police and detonated a car bomb in western Turkey on Thursday after their vehicle was stopped at a checkpoint, killing a police officer and a court employee, officials said.

The explosion and gunfire outside the main courthouse in Izmir, Turkey's third largest city, highlighted the country's deteriorating security after a gunman killed 39 people in a New Year's Day mass shooting at an Istanbul nightclub.