Gunman Shoots At US Embassy In Turkey As US Rebuffs All Negotiations Over Pastor’s Release
by Tyler Durden
ZeroHedge.com
Mon, 08/20/2018
An unknown gunman fired several gunshots from a passing vehicle at the US embassy in the Turkish capital, Ankara, on Monday, hitting a window in a security cabin but causing no casualties, police and broadcaster CNN Turk reported. The attack has coincided with a deepening row between Ankara and Washington over the trial of a U.S. pastor in Turkey.
A police officer told Reuters at the scene the drive-by shooting occurred around 5 a.m. (0200 GMT) and that nobody was hurt. The embassy was closed for a weeklong public holiday to mark the Islamic Eid al-Adha festival.
Broadcaster Haberturk showed police teams inspecting one of the entrances to the embassy and apparent damage caused by a gunshot could be seen in one window. It said empty cartridges were found at the scene.
Commenting on the shooting, an Erdogan spokesman said that the shooting at the US embassy was a clear attempt to create chaos.
Police teams were searching for the assailants, who fled in a white car after the attack, CNN Turk said. Four or five gunshots were heard, it said.
The U.S. embassy in Ankara and the consulate in Istanbul have been the targets of attacks by militants and have faced numerous security threats in the past.
Separately, in the latest diplomatic escalation between the US and Turkey, the WSJ reported , citing a White House official, that the Trump administration has “rejected an effort by Turkey to tie the release of a U.S. pastor with relief for a major Turkish bank facing billions of dollars in U.S. fines,” and has told Ankara other issues are off the table until the minister is freed. The jailing of Andrew Brunson triggered the worst crisis between the two countries in decades and helped push the Turkish currency to record lows in recent months.
The Rest…HERE
