Bomber among dead in attack on US Embassy

A suicide bomber and a Turkish guard have been killed in an attack in front of the US Embassy in Ankara today.

Bomber among dead in attack on US Embassy

A suicide bomber and a Turkish guard have been killed in an attack in front of the US Embassy in Ankara today.

Turkish officials blamed the attack on domestic leftists.

Turkey and the US immediately condemned the attack and US officials urged Americans to stay away from all US diplomatic offices throughout Turkey.

A Turkish woman was also seriously wounded and two other guards suffered lighter wounds in the blast in the Turkish capital, Interior Minister Muammar Guler told reporters.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility, but Mr Guler said "preliminary information" obtained by police indicated that the bomber was likely to be connected to a domestic left-wing militant group.

A police official told The Associated Press that the bomber is most likely a suspected member of the outlawed Revolutionary People's Liberation Party-Front, or DHKP-C.

The group has been designated a terrorist organisation by the United States but had been relatively quiet in recent years.

The explosion occurred inside the security checkpoint at the side entrance to the US embassy, which is used by staff. A guard standing outside the checkpoint was killed while the two guards that were wounded "were standing in a more protected area," Mr Guler said.

Police and ambulances swarmed the area and authorities immediately cordoned it off. Forensic investigators in white outfits and gloves combed the site.

TV footage showed the embassy door blown off its hinges. The blast also shattered the windows of nearby businesses, littering debris on the ground and across the road. The inside of the embassy did not appear to be damaged.

Television footage also showed what appeared to be a US marksman in a helmet and body armour surveying the area from the roof of an embassy building.

The US Embassy building in Ankara is heavily protected and located near several other embassies, including those of Germany and France. The Hurriyet newspaper said staff at the embassy took shelter in "safe room" inside the compound soon after the explosion.

In a statement, the US Embassy thanked Turkey for "its solidarity and outrage over the incident."

US Ambassador Francis Ricciardone declared that the US and Turkey "will continue to fight terrorism together" and described the US Embassy compound as secure.

"From today's event, it is clear that we both suffer from this terrible, terrible problem of today's world. We are determined after events like this even more to cooperate together until we defeat this problem together," he said.

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan echoed that sentiment, saying the attack aimed to disturb Turkey's "peace and prosperity" and demonstrated a need for international co-operation against terrorism.

"We will stand firm and we will overcome this together," he said.

In Washington, State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said US officials were "working closely with the Turkish national police to make a full assessment of the damage and the casualties, and to begin an investigation."

Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu vowed that Turkey would spare no effort in protecting diplomatic facilities.

"We have always shown great sensitivity to the protection of foreign missions and we will continue to do so," he said.

The injured woman was 38-year-old Didem Tuncay, a respected television journalist who until recently had worked for NTV television. A hospital official said she was "not in a critical condition."

Mr Ricciardone visited Tuncay in the hospital and told reporters outside that he had invited her to the US Embassy for tea.

He also paid tribute to the Turkish guard who was killed, calling him a "Turkish hero" who died while defending US and Turkish staff at the Embassy.

British Foreign Secretary William Hague condemned the attack "in the strongest terms" and said Turkey and the US will get the UK's full support as they seek to hold those responsible to account.

US diplomatic facilities in Turkey have been targeted previously by terrorists. In 2008, an attack blamed on al Qaida-affiliated militants outside the US Consulate in Istanbul left three assailants and three policemen dead.

In past years, the DHKP-C group has spearheaded hunger strikes against Turkish prison conditions that led to the deaths of dozens of inmates.

In September, police said a leftist militant threw a hand grenade and then blew himself up outside a police station in Istanbul, killing a police officer and injuring seven others. Police identified the bomber as a member of the DHKP-C, which has claimed responsibility for assassinations and bombings since the 1970s.

In 2008, Turkish police said they had foiled a bomb plot by DHKP-C against some US companies in Turkey.

Turkey has also seen attacks linked to homegrown Islamic militants tied to al Qaida. In a 2003 attack on the British consulate in Istanbul, a suspected Islamic militant rammed an explosive-laden pickup truck into the main gate, killing 58 people, including the British consul-general.

Turkey has also been deeply affected by the civil war in neighbouring Syria, and has become a harsh critic of President Bashar Assad's regime there.

more courts articles

Man (25) in court charged with murdering his father and attempted murder of mother Man (25) in court charged with murdering his father and attempted murder of mother
Man appears in court charged with false imprisonment of woman in van Man appears in court charged with false imprisonment of woman in van
Man in court over alleged false imprisonment of woman Man in court over alleged false imprisonment of woman

More in this section

Paramedics among 16 people killed by Israeli airstrikes in Lebanon Paramedics among 16 people killed by Israeli airstrikes in Lebanon
French legislators ponder law to ban discrimination based on a person’s hair French legislators ponder law to ban discrimination based on a person’s hair
China ends tariffs on Australian wine as relations between countries thaw China ends tariffs on Australian wine as relations between countries thaw
Cookie Policy Privacy Policy Brand Safety FAQ Help Contact Us Terms and Conditions

© Examiner Echo Group Limited