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Subscribe to RSSA suicide bomber blew himself up at an entrance to the U.S. Embassy compound in Ankara, Turkey, on Friday. NBC's Richard Engel reports.
A suicide bomber blew himself up at an entrance to the U.S. Embassy compound in Ankara, Turkey, on Friday, officials said.
U.S. State Department and Turkish interior ministry officials said the bomber and a Turkish guard were killed in the attack, which took place about 1:15 p.m. local time (6:15 a.m. ET).
"Clearly, it’s a terrorist attack," State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said in a media briefing, adding that the U.S. condemns the hit in strong terms.
The bomber, who was wearing a suicide vest, made it to the first X-ray machine in a screening area leading to the visa section, police sources said, and then detonated the device.
The Turkish security guard standing nearby was killed, but two guards on the other side of the checkpoint, behind bulletproof glass, survived. In the immediate aftermath of the attack, sources had said three people were thought to have been killed.
Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan said the bomber was a member of the Revolutionary People's Liberation Party-Front, or DHKPC, a far-left group designated a terrorist organization by the United States and the European Union.
That group, started in the late 1970s, "has periodically targeted both Turkish officials and been virulently anti-U.S. and anti-NATO during the Gulf War and continuing to today," Michael Leiter, former director of the U.S. National Counterterrorism Center, said in an interview with NBC News.
"During the past several months Turkish officials have targeted the DHKPC and it is possible that this was in retaliation for those police raids," he said, adding that the group's reach was believed to be limited to Turkey and the immediate region.
There was, however, no claim of responsibility.
Nuland said a Turkish citizen was hurt and is in "serious condition." Reuters reported this victim was Didem Tuncay, a journalist on her way in to the embassy to meet U.S. Ambassador Francis Ricciardone. Several U.S. and Turkish staff members were hit by flying debris and treated at the scene.
"We're very sad of course that we lost one of our Turkish guards at the gate," Ricciardone said, according to Reuters, thanking Turkish authorities for their response.
Turkish television footage taken shortly after the attack showed smoke rising from the area and a heavily damaged door that led to a side street.
A suicide bomber blew himself up at an entrance to the embassy compound in Ankara.
Turkish media reports identified the bomber as Ecevit Sanli. Reuters said Sanli was previously involved in attacks on a police station and a military staff college in Istanbul in 1997.
Nuland said the attack happened on an external perimeter access site whose level of security protection ensured that the strike wasn't worse.
The White House said Friday it was not yet clear who was responsible for the bombing.
"The attack itself was clearly an act of terror," Jay Carney, White House spokesman, said in a briefing with reporters.
The State Department said the U.S. will cooperate with the Turkish side on the investigation into the attack.
Erdogan, who was attending a ceremony in Istanbul when the blast happened, said the attack "shows that we need to fight together everywhere in the world against these terrorist elements."
In an emergency message Friday, the State Department said Americans were "advised to not visit the Consulates in Istanbul, Adana or the Embassy in Ankara until further notice."
"The Department of State advises U.S. citizens traveling or residing in Turkey to be alert to the potential for violence, to avoid those areas where disturbances have occurred, and to avoid demonstrations and large gatherings," the message said.
In Berlin on Friday, Vice President Joe Biden said that he appreciated an "expression of sympathy" over the attack from German Chancellor Angela Merkel, saying it reinforced the "very close counterterrorism cooperation that exists between Germany and the United States."
On Sept. 11 last year, U.S. Ambassador Christopher Stevens and three other Americans were killed in an attack on the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi, Libya, prompting concern about security for diplomats.
On Jan. 23, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee that she took responsibility for not adequately protecting U.S. personnel in Benghazi. Her voice choked with emotion as she remembered the return of "flag-draped caskets" and putting her arms around relatives of those who died.
Nuland said on Friday that after Benghazi, every U.S. post in the world reviewed its security. She added that the embassy in Ankara is one of the posts due for a complete compound overhaul. The building housing the embassy was built in the 1950s and needs a full upgrade, Nuland said.
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 U.S. Consulate in Istanbul left three assailants and three policemen dead.
In the November 2003 attack on the British consulate, a suspected Islamic militant rammed an explosive-laden pickup truck into the main gate, killing British Consul-General, Roger Short, and his assistant, Lisa Hallworth.
The State Department says on its website that 15 people who claimed they were associated with al-Qaida were arrested in July 2011 for gathering explosive materials in preparation for an attack on the U.S. Embassy in Ankara.
Mehmet Ali Ozcan / EPA
Turkish police secure the area after an explosion at an entrance to the U.S. Embassy compound in Ankara Friday.
It added that the July plot and other incidents "show a willingness on the part of some terrorist groups to attack identifiably Western targets. The possibility of terrorist attacks, from both transnational and indigenous groups, remains high."
The State Department says the PKK Kurdish rebel group is the "most active terrorist organization in Turkey." It said the PKK had historically targeted Turkish government and military interests, but had recently "threatened increased violent activity in Turkey’s urban areas, and there is credible information suggesting that it intends to continue targeting tourist areas as well."
Earlier this month, about 400 U.S. personnel arrived at Turkey’s Incirlik Air Base to support the deployment of a NATO Patriot missile battery to help defend the country from possible incursions by Syria’s forces during that country’s ongoing civil war.
Reuters, The Associated Press and NBC News Staff Writers Kari Huus, Alastair Jamieson and Becky Bratu contributed to this report.
Related:
From April 2011: US ally Turkey flirts with Mideast's 'bad boys'
After decades of oppression, Kurds get taste of freedom as Assad's troops flee
Leave a Comment:
who ever was operating the first entrance x ray machine needs to be fired or maybe was in the plot with the suicide bomber .
We live in a dangerous world. Our success against terrorists...Bin Laden,drone strikes,etc......have hit a chord with those groups that wish us harm. At least with President Obama,we are taking intelligent,effective steps to fight terrorists...unlike his predecessor...who took his eye off the ball.The Right Wing no nothings conveniently forget it was G.W. Bush who presided over the worst terrorist attack in our Nation's history.He failed miserably on 9/11 to protect Americans and never was able to hold accountable those who perpetrated that tragedy. It was and is his successor ,President Obama,who is succesfully pursuing the enemy.
Well said.
Obama go no one! It was our military. Barry O did not fast rope into a compound! nor squeeze off one single round. I served both President George Bush. and Barry O. I have to say the George did not lie about any attacks. Unlike your leader Barry O. He is a fraud! Of course if it is anthing in his favor he will take credit. Anything bad President George Bushes fault. Who does he balme for screw- ups now? He will never take ownership for screw ups. By the way how do you like his health care?
Yeah, I guess giving the order to send Seal Team 6 in was a fraud. Trust me, if that operation had failed, you right wing crazies would be giving Obama all the blame in the world.So how about giving him credit for it's success?
Only a moron would blame a terrorist attack on the president...
BTW...it is the antithesis of patriotism to attack our Commander-in-Chief on a day that our country is under attack.Shame on all of you who do.
It is a backlash of sarcasm because of the Benghazi/White House sidestep that is still being covered up and over looked by all liberals, White House and the mainstream liberal media.
We know what happened!
Well,if you wnat to talk about BACKLASH...let's go BACK to Lebanon in the early 80's,when 250 or so U.S. Marines wer killed by a terrorist explosion and Ronald Reagan's response was to invade frakkin' Grenada a week later. BTW, Reagan,like Bush,never got those responsible.....and...keep talking Benghazi all the way to 2014 and 2016 when your Right Wing candidates get whupped again.
Benghazi happened like months ago, dude. There was a cover-up of drastic incompetence stemming all the way to at least, Clinton. Clinton is trying to distance her self because she wants the WH in 2016. When or where did Reagan sidestep the Lebanon bombing? Terrorism was much more a new item back then and our intelligence network not nearly as developed as it is now. He didn't blame it on a demonstration that got out of control and stick to that line for 2 weeks, while the rest of the world knew better.
BTW, your side stole the election. And it will steal it again so that it can bankrupt this country into oblivion. For a president to take this country from $10 tril in debt to $23 tril in debt in 8 years is only possible because of your candidates.
Matter of historical fact...Reagan did nothing about the terroerists who killed the Marines in Lebanon.....zero,zilch.....Mr. Actor President divert nation's attention away by invading Grenada
Why doesn't Obummer send his Union Thug Buddies over to protect our Embassies?????
Why don't you stop crying? All you want to do is come here and whine and piss and moan!
Disturbed from Sphincter
did they let kindergarden out early today or are you just home for lunchbreak?
It is you Liberals who do are the whining and name calling. Nasty creatures you all are.
It's John Kerry's fault.
No- Try Hillary and Obuma , cretin
NOW you got it right !
AKA, ass kissin assho! Stop your stupid whining and crying, pissing and moaning!!!
Ohh Darkie - I can't read Ebonics you illiterate , step n fetch it beggar.
get back on da corner swilling some cheap wine bought with food stamps
Barry that isn't necessary.
Wow...imagine that.
And I strongly suspected is was the Little Sisters of the Poor!
I like those words, "illegal leftist" sounds good to me
sounds redundant to me
like "cocksucking toe tapping righties" sounds good to me. don't even get me started on teabaggers.
Weldem
Are you sure it only "sounds" good to you??? Sounds like you know a lot about airport men's rooms to me.
You won't find me in any airport, I don't fly,and I got my info about righties on the news apparantly you either can't or don't read.
.
Under Bush, New York City was attacked.
Under Obama, 2 embassies were attacked.
And here come the Republicans pretending to be so outraged. As if anybody, including themselves, believes a word they're saying.
Did you FORGET Fort Hood , Cretin ?
I know that was "workplace violence"
Allah ACKBAR !!!!!!
*and the Pentagon, and 3,000 Americans died after the republicans cancelled the weekly Bin Laden briefing, said Clinton was obsessed with Bin Laden, and missed the memo about the planes flying into buildings while Bush, who was and still is *sshole buddies with his benefactors the Bin Ladens, was on a month-long vacation after 6 months in office.
*and 5,000 soldiers were killed in an absolutely useless war that was supposed to pay for itself and cost us enough to pay for national healthcare, all so a few cronies could make money.
*and none of these morons said anything.
Snore -- Get a life beggar and STFU
HELLO 2013 moron and it all got WORSE under Baby DOC
get back to OWS , loser
It is time to put an end to ISLAMIC TERRORISTS. Since the US is the only country with the intestinal fortitude to do this, we should close and withdraw ALL diplomatic personnel from ALL ISLAMIC countries.
Then we should allow our military, without the meddling of the civiilan US government, to put an end once and for all to ISLAMIC TERRORISM.
I for one do not want to live with this crap for the rest of my life. The MUSLIM TERRORIST 'community' have no honor and should not be treated with any. ISLAMIC governments are totally ineffectual in controlling them at all, or are in collusion with them.
Its time the hounds of hell were unleashed, and put an end to this.
"Then we should allow our military, without the meddling of the civilian US government...."
And people are worried about Obama trying to trash the Constitution.
Since we would be releasing the 'hounds of hell' as you put it...I guess that would fulfill some of the terrorists description of us as the great Satan.
We can't do that, we have to much invested in sneekie pete ops to pull out. Those that go there know the risks, get paid well for it and know that death is the only option when the natives get restless. What they gather in the way of useful intel far out weighs the risks that they take, so look for more to happen, and yes there are those that can't wait to go and fill the vacancy, they are called PATRIOTS!!!
All you Obama Bashers --
We did get FREE condoms
Amnesty to illegals
An unaffordable H/C plan
50 months of 8% unemployment (more or SLIGHTLY less)
45 million Americans on food-stamps
all that transparency !
A budget every years !
All those green jobs and new green companies
The first time the USA was ever downgraded !
Aren't we lucky ?
HAIL DEAR LEADER
3 TERMS FOR BABY DOC !!!
Asskissinassho,Take your idiotic stupididty back over to the news for Dum Fux, would you? We are soooo tired of your pissing and moaning!!
Ebonics - LOL
Get back on da corner , sambo
Hey D, we will see who is pissin and moanin after the country is bankrupt and we all lose everything because of this idiotic group of Dems. who think they run @!$%#!
Did you know that the only reason we arent bankrupt,(technically we are) is because we can print our own money?
Everyone knows that Greece seems to be the model of what bankrupt is but what you don't hear is that Greece's per capita debt is 36,000.00 while the USA is 52,000.00!
You all are so stupid for buying into Obamas BS!
How is it workin' out for us with a full term of Obama's Dictatorship?
Five surgeons from big cities are discussing who makes the best patients to operate on.
The first surgeon, from New York, says, 'I like to see accountants on my operating table
because when you open them up, everything inside is numbered.'
The second, from Chicago, responds, 'Yeah, but you should try electricians!
Everything inside them is color coded.'
The third surgeon, from ...Dallas, says, 'No, I really think librarians are the best,
everything inside them is in alphabetical order.'
The fourth surgeon, from Los Angeles chimes in: 'You know, I like construction workers...
Those guys always understand when you have a few parts left over.'
But the fifth surgeon, from Washington, DC shut them all up when he observed: 'You're all wrong.
Liberal politicians and their constituents are the easiest to operate on.
There's no guts, no heart, no balls, no brains, and no spine.
Plus, the head and the a ss are interchangeable.'
I know that YOU think thats funny, that tells us all something about you! YOU have no brain, period!!! Now please take your mindless drivel back to news for Dum Fux, AKA, Faux news! Thats where all the other mindless morons play!!!
How sad. Our embassy was attacked and you want to play politics with it.
D, all you do is call people names because you know that you have been duped by your savior. How bout some facts or substance, or is that too much thinking for you?
Do you know why a righties guts don't fall out of their asses? It's because of the vacuum in their heads.
And still the White house has done nothing about finding the people who killed US Ambassador Chris Stevens. Its been 20 weeks and still nothing. But don't worry Obama has your back too.
It'a hard turning in your buddies.
I think Turkey is reaping what it has sown. Less than 100 years ago they slaughtered over ten million Armenians. Straigt up genocide. More Armenians were murdered by the Turks than the Jews were by the Germans. I have no problem with their surviving grandchildren finding a similar fate. Reap what you Sow. If you are interested you can look up the genocide also known as the Silent Genocide.
Okay Senators McCain, Graham, Paul and Johnson - start your engines.....
They are looking for those students that protested with rockets !
Hey I know the went to Algeria blew up our oil facility, then went to Turkey.
Coming to the USA soon
Alway remember grasshoppers
Bin Laden Dead/GM alive !
The war on terrorism was won !
Hail Baby DOC 1
Give the prez a break, he's been busy doing skeet! Hahahahahahahahah
Do we yet know if the dead "guard" is a Marine, and American? But let's keep howling about the President, and Amb. Rice, and former Sec Clinton, and and and and and
He should be going on vacation again soon.
He's fixed the economy, emigration and soon will forever fix terrorism
He's due for a vacation.
Bin Laden Dead /GM alive !
Emigration? Good, when are you leaving?
Got No one!
Are you referring to Former President Bush?
Still blaming Bush? Get a life!
No I was just wondering who he meant "got no one". Everyone knows that President Obama gave the order to have Osama terminated while former President Bush allowed his family to leave on 9/12 and then invaded Iraq with false information that he & former Vice President Cheney knew was false. So no I was not blaming former President Bush I was trying to clarify what he/she was talking about. Maybe you could help? who did he mean by "got no one"?
Lets send Sen. Menendez over to check it out.
why?? do they have hot looking whores over there??
Ahh you desperate losers.
Obama - Killed Bin Laden
your President- Often received money by Bin Laden's family, cancelled the weekly briefings on Bin Laden as soon as he "took" office, let the Bin Ladens be the only ones flying on 9/12 (before anyone could question them), and said Osama Bin Laden is not important.
Maybe these attacks are retaliation for this President killing America's by far worst enemy, and you girls don't have the balls for it. I guess that's why the republicans didn't really go after him. (But I still think it was mostly the money.)
Bill
Why did Oblumbles sell assault rifles to the Mexican drug lords and other criminals??? was he just making it 'easier' for them when they come across the border illegally to burn rape and pillage?
Why wasn't Joe Biden's red rider repeater BB rifle confiscated before he shoots his eye out????
Now that's just pathetic leftis, just pathetic. I feel for you man. You are desperate. Don't worry, Obama is only President for 4 more years. After the Republicans alter the democratic process, maybe you can go back to being duped into destroying the country again.
I'll give you some help. Every single thing that is good for a rich person is what is best for the economy, if you try to regulate any corporation (that has all its labor in China) it's anti-American, and every person who is currently rich got there through their own hard work and dedication.
Run with that. (Oh I forgot, you already do).
Oh I forgot, if you say anything about a CEO getting a $20 dollar bonus after the company had to lay off hundreds of workers and take tax money to survive, you are jealous and engaging in class warfare.
And unions are all bad bad bad bad bad.
*$20 million dollar, I meant.
Bill
a twenty dollar bonus?? You must be talking about a CEO from Kenya where Obama grew up, right?
bob,
That's about what they deserve when Bush has to beg for my tax money to keep them going. I think Kenya's where the guy is from that's at your house when you're at work.
"We can confirm a terrorist blast at a check point on the perimeter of our embassy compound in Ankara, Turkey, was indeed the result of a video" State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said Friday. "We are working closely with the Turkish national police to make a full assessment of the video and to begin an investigation."
Hahahahahahahah
If Turkey would just ban suicide bombers all this would stop.
Wolf-That's pretty funny!
The number 13 is considered to be an unlucky number. Here we are in 2013.
Getting off to a good start aren't we.
2012 was going real good until it hit the crap house on November 8th.
How sad so many people felt the need to try to play politics with this attack. Our embassy was attacked. Stop acting like you know all the details and are ready to assign blame. Things like this will happen in free societies, but in this case the damage was limited and security did its job. It is tragic for those killed or injured. Let's come together as Americans.
Kumbya ya, Kumbya ya
Surprise --that's WHAT EVERY a$$ fcked , lefty, cretin writes when they just got NAILED for screwing up. When they want to cover up for Dear Leader Baby Doc, it's always why can't we just get along ?
Snore--- STFU Rodney and get back to OWS
As soon as obama quits messing with the constitution and gets his sorry *ss to work on real solutions we can come together as Americans!