A police officer has been described as 'heroic' by the Turkish prime minister after he stopped a 'big atrocity' when Kurdish terrorists tried to blow up a courthouse in Izmir with a car bomb today.

Fethi Sekin refused to let the car inside the cordon outside the Justice Palace building and then chased after the terrorists when they abandoned the vehicle, which blew up seconds later. He was killed in a shootout with the terrorists.

Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said: 'Our heroic police officer martyred in this attack, Fethi Sekin, prevented a much bigger disaster happening, sacrificing his own life without a thought for it.'

Scroll down for video

Social media in Turkey is full of praise for Fethi Sekin (pictured), the 'heroic' police officer who thwarted the terrorists' attempts to blow up a courthouse in Izmir today

The provincial governor, Erol Ayyildiz, blamed the Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK, for the car bombing and a large crowd assembled at the scene, chanting: 'God damn the PKK'.

The PKK is fighting for an independent homeland for the Kurdish people in the south east of Turkey.

The dramatic moment terrorists shot at Mr Sekin, 43, and another Turkish policemen in the street was caught on video.

An officer can be seen sprinting away from a row of parked cars before collapsing to the ground after been shot during a gunfight in Izmir, on Turkey's west coast.

Moments later, a second officer appears to fall to the pavement nearby after being targeted by an attacker. It is not clear which one is Mr Sekin.

Fethi Sekin poses proudly outside the Justice Palace in Izmir (left), which he was guarding today when he was killed. He was also a father (right)

Fethi Sekin (pictured) was a popular figure and has been described as a 'hero'

Two men armed with machine guns, grenades and a rocket launcher were later killed while a third is on the run after a deadly car bomb outside a courthouse.

Mr Sekin and a courthouse worker died in the blast and five people were injured - some critically.

But Turkey's Deputy Prime Minister Veysi Kaynak said it could have been much worse: 'Based on the preparation, the weapons, the bombs and ammunition seized, it is understood that a big atrocity was being planned.'

Social media in Turkey was swamped with messages about Mr Sekin.

Author Elif Şafak tweeted: 'Heartbreaking: terror attack in #Izmir. Police officer & father #FethiSekin prevented a massacre by sacrificing himself.'

Selami Haktan tweeted: '#FethiSekin is a real hero. He stopped VBIED (Vehicle-Borne Improvised Explosive Device) entering courthouse, chased 3 terrorists. Achieved to kill one & die a martyr in the shootout.'

It comes a day after local police in the city arrested 20 ISIS suspects in the search for a gunman who went on the rampage murdering 39 revellers at an Istanbul club on New Year's Eve.

Footage taken from a rooftop appears to show the attacker (left) shooting a police officer (right) during the ensuing gun battle

Further footage then shows what appears to be a second officer (circled left and bottom right) being shot by an attacker (circled top right)

Shocking footage shows an officer stumbling after he was shot before falling into the road

A bomb blast outside a courthouse in the western Turkish city of Izmir has left at least ten people injured, it has emerged

A car could be seen engulfed in flames moments after the blast, which killed a police officer and a courthouse worker

CCTV captured the moment the blast rocked the city. Images posted online have also emerged showing the bodies of two men lying on the ground.

Police are reportedly hunting a third suspect, described as wearing a black coat and a white beret.

Authorities say suspected Kurdish militants opened fire at police who stopped them at a checkpoint in the western city of Izmir before detonating their explosives-laden vehicle.

The governor, Mr Ayyildiz, said: 'A clash erupted after our police officers wanted to stop a vehicle at a police check point in front of Bayrakli courthouse. In this clash, terrorists detonated the car bomb while trying to escape.'

A terrifying arsenal of weapons was found at the scene, including rocket launchers (above)

Magazines were found discarded by the body of one attacker while rockets were found in a suitcase at the scene

Several ambulances were rushed to the scene after the blast outside the prosecutors and judges' entrance in the usually peaceful city on the Aegean Sea

Separate images have emerged showing the bodies of two men lying on the ground

Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Veysi Kaynak said a much larger attack was apparently being planned, based on the weapons found at the scene of the bombing

Kaynak said the attack, which the local governor said was thought to have been carried out by Kurdish militants, would not stop Turkey's military involvement in Syria and Iraq

Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Veysi Kaynak said a much larger attack was apparently being planned, based on the weapons found at the scene of the bombing.

'Based on the preparation, the weapons, bombs and ammunition seized, it is understood that a big atrocity was being planned,' Kaynak told reporters in comments broadcast live.

Kaynak said the attack, which the local governor said was thought to have been carried out by Kurdish militants, would not stop Turkey's military involvement in Syria and Iraq.

A mobile phone, hand gun, note book and car keys were found on the ground at the scene

Fire fighters were called in to tackle the blaze which claimed the lives of two people

A police officer runs down the road as emergency services descend on the scene in Izmir today

A shocked woman could be seen crying near the scene of the explosion in the Aegean city

Police were called in to guard the scene after a dramatic shoot out took place in Izmir

Security and medical staff descended on the scene. The incident followed a string of attacks, carried out by ISIS or by Kurdish militants, that have left Turkey on edge

Footage captured from a rooftop shows the gunfight unfolding on the street below. At one point it scans to what appears to be the body of a police officer on the road.

Separate CCTV footage shows the force of the blast.

As is customary after such attacks in Turkey, the authorities slapped a broadcast ban on images from the incident, state-run Anadolu news agency reported.

The incident follows a string of attacks, carried out by ISIS or by Kurdish militants, that have left Turkey on edge.

However, there has so far been no claim of responsibility or an indication of who may have carried out today's attack.

Aftermath: Shocked bystanders were seen in tears as they left the scene earlier today

Several ambulances rushed to the scene and took five people to hospital - some with serious injuries

Pictures show flames coming from near a small building as Turkish police descend on the scene

Turkish police detained 20 suspected ISIS militants thought to be of Central Asian and North African origin in Izmir on Wednesday, according to a police statement.

The suspects were understood to have travelled to Izmir from the central city of Konya, the statement said.

Security forces are hunting an ISIS attacker who went on the rampage at the upmarket Reina nightclub in Istanbul, massacring 39 revellers and injuring dozens more.

Turkish media reports have said the unnamed assailant was believed to have spent time in Konya before coming to Istanbul and carrying out the attack.

CCTV captured the moment a blast rocked the city of Izmir in western Turkey today

Dramatic video appears to show the gunfight in which two attackers were killed by police

Eyewitnesses said the explosion appeared to come from a vehicle while pictures on social media show a cloud of smoke rising up from the street