Suicide bombing at US Embassy in Turkey, 2 dead

[nrj]

ANKARA, TURKEY: A suspected suicide bomber detonated an explosive device at the entrance of the US Embassy in the Turkish capital on Friday and at least two people are dead, a police official said.

An Associated Press journalist saw a body in the street in front of an embassy side entrance. The bomb appeared to have exploded inside the security checkpoint at the entrance of the visa section of the embassy.

Several ambulances were dispatched to the area. An AP journalist saw at least one woman who appeared to be seriously injured being carried into an ambulance.

Private NTV television said two security guards at the entrance were killed.

The police official spoke on condition of anonymity in line with government rules. The phones were not being answered at the embassy.

The embassy building is heavily protected. It is near an area where several other embassies, including that of Germany and France, are located. Police sealed off the area and journalists were being kept away.

There was no claim of responsibility, but Kurdish rebels and Islamic militants are active in Turkey. Kurdish rebels, who are fighting for autonomy in the Kurdish-dominated southeast, have dramatically stepped up attacks in Turkey over the last year.

As well, homegrown Islamic militants tied to al-Qaida have carried out suicide bombings in Istanbul, killing 58, in 2003. The targets were the British consulate, a British bank and two synagogues.

In 2008, an attack blamed on al-Qaida-affiliated militants outside the US Consulate in Istanbul left three assailants and three policemen dead.

Suicide bombing at US Embassy in Turkey, 2 dead - The Times of India

 

[SajeevJino]

Suicide bomb outside US embassy in Ankara​

Two people have been killed and several people wounded in an explosion, likely a suicide bomb, outside the US embassy in Ankara, the capital of Turkey.

Police claimed that a suicide bomber detonated a bomb at the embassy, with two people killed.

A Turkish security guard was killed, along with the suicide bomber.

Turkish TV footage showed a door blown out and masonry from the wall around it scattered in front of the side entrance.

"It was a huge explosion. I was sitting in my shop when it happened. I saw what looked like a body part on the ground," said travel agent Kamiyar Barnos whose shop window was shattered around 100 metres away from the blast.

Islamist radicals, far-left groups, far-right groups and Kurdish separatist militants have all carried out attacks in Turkey in the past.


Francis Ricciardone, the US ambassador, confirmed the death of the guard and vowed to work with Turkey to fight terror.

"We are very sad of course, we lost one of our Turkish guards at the gate... The compound is secure, we all feel very safe thanks to your response," he said.

"We will continue to fight terrorism together. From today's event it is clear we both suffer from this terrible terror problem. We are determined... only more to collaborate together until we defeat this problem."

The main domestic security threat comes from the separatist Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), deemed a terrorist group by the United States, European Union and Turkey, but the PKK has focused its campaign largely on domestic targets.

Turkey has led calls for international intervention in neighbouring Syria and is hosting hundreds of NATO soldiers from the United States, Germany and the Netherlands who are operating a Patriot missile defence system along its border with Syria, hundreds of kilometres away from the capital.

The US Patriots were expected to go active in the coming days.


Suicide bomb outside US embassy in Ankara - Telegraph


Reuters Flash
Explosion in center of Turkish capital Ankara, casualties reported -NTV via Reuters - breakingnews.com

 

[pmaitra]

Turkey is hosting an eclectic mix of Jihadis and Wahhabi militants from various Arab countries. In their quest to topple the al-Assad government, they have exposed their hinterland to these Wahhabis. This attack could be another example showing that if you harbour insurgents for fomenting trouble in your neighbouring country, it might as well have effect domestically. Pakistan is a case in this point, but we never learn from our mistakes, do we?

 

[afako]

Turkey is hosting an eclectic mix of Jihadis and Wahhabi militants from various Arab countries. In their quest to topple the al-Assad government, they have exposed their hinterland to these Wahhabis. This attack could be another example showing that if you harbour insurgents for fomenting trouble in your neighbouring country, it might as well have effect domestically. Pakistan is a case in this point, but we never learn from our mistakes, do we?

The Biggest Wannabe Caliphate in the Islamic World is sitting at the helm of Turkey!

Wahabis and Islamists would be used like B*itches.for attaining that goal.

 

[Virendra]

I thought Turkish muslims were free of fundamentalism. Atleast not the most radical kinds that resort to violence.
A lot is changing in the middle east .. and rapidly.
Question is- who will be in the front line of bearing its fallout. West ? or East !!

 

[W.G.Ewald]

I thought Turkish muslims were free of fundamentalism. Atleast not the most radical kinds that resort to violence.
A lot is changing in the middle east .. and rapidly.
Question is- who will be in the front line of bearing its fallout. West ? or East !!

The influence of Ataturk may be fading.

Atatürk's Reforms - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Atatürk's changes to Turkish society (Turkish: Atatürk Devrimleri) were a series of political, legal, cultural, social and economic policy changes that were designed to convert the new Republic of Turkey into a secular nation-state where practice of religion in various aspects of life was restricted. They were implemented under the leadership of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk in accordance with Kemalist ideology.

The reform movement began with the modernization of the constitution, including enacting the new Constitution of 1924, and the adaptation of European laws and jurisprudence to the needs of the new republic. This was followed by a thorough secularization and modernization of the administration, with particular focus on the education system. The development of industry was promoted by strategies such as import substitution and the founding of state enterprises and state banks.[1] Central to these reforms were the belief that Turkish society would have to Westernize itself both politically and culturally in order to modernize.[2]

Mustafa Kemal Atatürk - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[The Messiah]

Just read pmaitra post in this thread. Its precise and correct.

 

[asianobserve]

Police: Bomber at U.S. Embassy in Turkey with leftist group
From Ivan Watson, CNN
February 1, 2013

(CNN) -- Turkish officials say a suicide bomber belonging to a radical leftist organization blew himself up just outside the U.S. Embassy in Ankara on Friday.
The blast killed a Turkish security guard and wounded a journalist. A senior U.S. official said no Americans were wounded.

Istanbul police identified the bomber as Ecevit Shanli, a member of DHKP-C, a Marxist Leninist terror group.

Little information is being released about the bomber or the group, but the specter of this kind of attack has once again put a spotlight on security at U.S. posts around the globe.

The attack in Turkey came after a rash of attacks at U.S. embassies last September in Cairo, Egypt, Tunisia and, most deadly, in Libya. The attack in Benghazi killed four Americans, including U.S. Ambassador Christopher Stevens.

Earlier Friday, U.S. State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said that a "terrorist blast" happened at 1:13 p.m. at a checkpoint on the perimeter of the embassy.

"We are working closely with the Turkish national police to make a full assessment of the damage and the casualties, and to begin an investigation," she said.
The bomber arrived first in the rear access of the building and then went to the first checkpoint, Nuland said, where IDs are checked.

"You have to go through security, and he was wearing a suicide vest," Nuland said. "He exploded at the guard ... the one on his side of the security barrier was killed."

Two other guards on the other side of the glass survived, she said.

The FBI will investigate the bombing along with local authorities, a U.S. law enforcement official told CNN. The FBI has a legal attache office in Ankara, the FBI's website says.

The blast happened on the same day that Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was leaving her job. Sen. John Kerry will fill that role.

Republican Rep. Ed Royce, chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, issued a statement saying that Friday's bombing is "yet another stark reminder of the constant terrorist threat against U.S. facilities, personnel and interests abroad."

"Coming after Benghazi, it underscores the need for a comprehensive review of security at our diplomatic posts," his statement said. "The committee stands ready to assist the State Department in protecting our diplomats."

More questions than answers

Hasan Selim Ozertem, a security expert at the International Strategic Research Organization in Ankara, said the attack could be related to arrests of a number of DHKP-C members two weeks ago.

Since the beginning of January, 85 members of the group have been arrested, he said, adding that Turkish police have been closely focusing on the group over the past five years. The DHKP-C was established in the 1970s.

Ozertem said that one plausible theory is the group is trying to send a message to Turkish authorities by attacking the U.S. Embassy because the building is near the Turkish parliament.

DHKP-C has a track record as a "subcontractor" group for other militant outfits, but it is also believed to have relationships with states in the region such as Syria and Iran, Ozertem said. The group also has a relationship with the PKK, the Kurdistan Workers Party, which has been warring with the Turkish government for some time.

Ozertem said that the attack could be linked to negotiations between the PKK and Turkish government, or that Syria or Iran could be involved considering the recent deployment of Patriot missiles in Turkey as a defense against possible missiles from Syria. He said he is unaware of any direct link between DHKP-C and al Qaeda.

At the chaotic scene at the embassy, there were conflicting accounts of how many people were wounded.

Ankara police and health officials said two were injured, while Ankara Gov. Aladdin Yuksel said one person was hurt.

Images from CNN sister network CNN Turk showed a hole in what appeared to be a building that is part of the outer gate of the embassy compound, in a very well-protected area of Ankara. A photograph of a woman who CNN was told worked for a Turkish news outlet was published Friday. Carried away on a stretcher, she appeared to be bleeding.

The gated complex includes blast doors, reinforced windows and a series of metal detectors that visitors must navigate before reaching embassy offices.
Vice President Joe Biden, in Europe to discuss issues such as Syria's civil war, spoke to reporters along with German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

Merkel said she is "very sad that there was an assault on the U.S. Embassy in Ankara. ... I want to send my condolences to everyone involved."
French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius condemned the attack and sent condolences.

Terror in Turkey

Turkish Prime Minster Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the blast was an attack "against the peace and welfare of our country."

Turkey has seen numerous acts of political violence in the past from groups such as leftist anarchists, Kurdish separatists, Islamists and al Qaeda. Turkey has also backed rebels in neighboring Syria, and some violence from that conflict has spilled over the border.

The explosion occurred as about 400 U.S. military personnel are moving Patriot missile defense equipment to a Turkish base as part of an effort to defend the country from possible attack from Syria.

The first battery became operational last Saturday in the city of Adana, NATO said, and more equipment arrived Wednesday in the port city of Iskenderun.

The British Embassy in Ankara strongly urged citizens to avoid areas around the U.S. Embassy.

The U.S. Embassy posted a message on its website thanking "the Turkish government, the media, and members of the public for their expressions of solidarity and outrage over the incident."

While the U.S. Embassy has not seen this kind of incident in decades, in 2008 three police officers died in a shootout with assailants outside the U.S. Consulate in Istanbul.

Three attackers died in the incident, which the U.S. ambassador at the time called "an obvious act of terrorism." One of the attackers in that incident was believed to have trained with al Qaeda in Pakistan's Waziristan region.


Police: Bomber at U.S. Embassy in Turkey with leftist group - CNN.com

Leftists are now suicide bombers? So now if you cannot defeat capitalism just terrorize it...

 

[pmaitra]

@asianobserve, thank you for the news report.

No matter who did it, it was plain and simple wrong. I admit that I had prejudged that it was carried out by Islamists.

 

[Virendra]

Turkey is hosting an eclectic mix of Jihadis and Wahhabi militants from various Arab countries. In their quest to topple the al-Assad government, they have exposed their hinterland to these Wahhabis. This attack could be another example showing that if you harbour insurgents for fomenting trouble in your neighbouring country, it might as well have effect domestically. Pakistan is a case in this point, but we never learn from our mistakes, do we?

Ah I see. Another Pak-job in the making. Sad we don't learn from each other.

 

[asianobserve]

US Embassy in Istanbul bomber: