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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
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My prayers go to the victims.
I've been saying this since the TSA decided to put in their gropers and their porno machines: A terrorist will not wait to be felt up or go through a full body scan to blow himself up... he will kill the people waiting in line to be groped or scanned. I know its not the air port but it finally and regretably happened... I hate being right all the time, especially on these kind of things.
More wars, more dead Republican working class stiffs, more suicides, more complaints.
Look you are cannon fodder for the rich, join up guard embassies, chase Arabs across the desert.just quit complaining. You know your goal in life is to serve the rich, guard the oil fields, just do it quietly and no more stupid investigations like Benghazi
leftistfascist? I think not. Right wing ahole? Oh yeah!
wallace has never used a fossil fuel, he is above that. He operates on 100% pure BS.
Hey, it is a biodiesel. Honest!
Well its a good thing we got kerry in there now things are allready changing for the better . NOT!!!
just anothere high paying job for nothing.Gee i wonder where we can start saving taxpayer dollars Hmmmm!!!
Billions of dollars a year and is anyone really safer NOT!!!
Our borders are wide open!!! Our war machinne cannot stop unconventional means Period!!
Maybe its time to start making Friends instead of trying to impose our world views and interest on people who dont want it!!! What good is it anyways if the unites states goes bankrupt and its citizens quality of life drop to nothing!!!
We need snipers on the roof's of all embassies.
I see the loser republican aholes are at it again. Who else knew thay would be quick to post their anti Obama, conspiary theory, we're aholes rants?
Why don't you pull your head outr of your arse? Probably because you like to eat and spew sh!t. leftisRacist.
and BOOM! goes the race card!
Prayers and thoughts to the families of those innocent ones killed, injured, and affected by this latest terroristical attack on our soil...but unfortunately the blame game will continue...
Quick; demos, libs, king wanna be dictator followers and throaters...tell us your next excuse and blame...OH...blame it on the conservatively republican groundhog that stuck his head out and again predicted yet another year of great American love from the radical terrorist welcoming committee around the globe...OH...this just in...it was the radical terrorist thanking the administration in advance for the 20 F-16's and Abrams Tanks that may be gifted to them...OH...yet further blame just coming in...it was the NRA...
Yes, the moral of this story and others to follow thanks to the brain dead minions that voted this anti-American terrorist into office is that you too are responsible for all of the terrorist attacks on our soil for it was you that supported and voted the terrorist into office and bow to his every action.
QUICK!
blame it on a video.
Fund the embassy security, Republitards!
Stop playing with your filibuster. You're going blind.
Well, one more dead Militant Islamist down, lets see, that leaves about One Billion more to go.
The Turkish government is a disgusting friend of Israel and the US. Suicide bombers are the weapons of the weak. Think for yourselves for once, stupid sheeple.
The Turkish leader Ergodan has threatened to attack Israel on numerous occassions...
Program note: The Administration has requested all of the Sunday shows to host Susan Rice this Sunday. Susan is making her way to the WH right now to get her talking points, while President Obama has suddenly scheduled an appearance in Las Vegas to give a speech on the art of finger pointing and blame casting. If you are an American and you recently made any videos or political statements involving Islam, beware you will be arrested in a few days.
Ah, the view must be striking from inside Limbaugh's anus you worms.
Well at least you knew I was referring to you and your kind. Can't call you a total idiot then can we?
These dummies think W Bush is still president.
So does Odumba, I mean he's still blaming Bush for everything, isn't he?
Embassy on fire????
"Round trip to Vegas, AF1, please."
Where is Feinstein with her international ban on assult bombs and suicide bombers?
She wants to ban almost everything except her pay raise.
"Oh, Mr. President, you must do something about this bomb violence, innocent people are getting hurt"
If you see a hint of sarcasm you are right....
Maybe Cuomo and Bloomberg should go into conference as to what republican to blame.
Kerry just threw up, passed out and hit his head therefore he knows nothing,,Barry is in Hawaii playing golf, Biden is shooting rabbits in his back yard laughing at the gun control freaks and the rest of the Dems are worried about ways they can tax the US citizens even more. Like Benghazi this will go away, the average Dem voter could give a crap and the rest of the country is so apathetic this goes right over their heads. As long as you can "swipe yo EBT" then all is well.
The conserva-trolls are soiling their pants with joy! Another dead American.
Gee whiz, the tea baggers are really stirred up already. Choping at the bit to get another hearing going in Congress. Can't wait for the FACTS, have that hearing NOW.
Damn, a laugh a minute from you people. Yep, and Mitt flipped and flopped before he crawed back into the car elevator, and McCain is wandering around the Senate singing "Bomb bomb bomb Iran." Yep, comedy of baggers running around unfettered.
"tea bagger"? OMG, OMG LMFAOA!!! Wow, did you just make that up? 'casue that is really creative and edgy!!! As usual, the liberal can't get through the first sentence without a "clever" insult.
Another example of Barry Soetoro's failed foreign policy. He's in way over his head and has been for 4 years.
You mean his policy of having foreign embassies? His policy of not controlling what goes on in Ankara, Turkey? Explain please, you make no sense.
For you? ZERO. Every president since I can remember has said we need to do better with education. You are living proof of that. Not so sure about the living part, but you are definitely proof.
It's not like we haven't pissed alot of people off with the way we handle things, most everyone hates this country. You have to understand though, the differences in cultures and religion to get why we are so hated. I used to be of the "f**k them, roll in dump some bombs and turn that place into a parking lot. Now I just echo Rodney King's question, can't we all just get along? Well, except for that douche in North Korea with the 3 stooges bowl cut. I'm thinking team 5 needs to pay a visit there. *shrug*
Check out this clown leftisfascist.
He's trying to take over this board. There's a serious mental illness there. It must be some kind of inadequacy issue. poor guy. probably ignored as a child.
Just report him as inflammatory and put him on ignore.
Liberals believe in free speech...until they don't agree with you.
He has nothing to say just attacks and is some how jubilant that our embassy was attacked. I think he has more in common with those who attacked our people than the Americans in harms way.
2 embassies both in obama's... "wheelhouse"
As a Bolshevik, we enjoy chaos and an absence of order unless it is our order and control. Our markets. Our manipulation. Of course, we want to live through the process, purging via immorality, illegal drug addictions, and no freedoms for others.
I encourage all of you to have a look on the BBC news website regarding the same story, as it further states that an individual "working at the IRAN AIR Travel Agency across the street from the US embassy" witnessed an injured woman being taken to an ambulance. Am I the only one that finds this a bit interesting? The word "front" comes to mind:as in 'store front', as in 'not really a store.' How convenient. And, Im a bit surprised that any 'businesses' would be located anywhere near any embassy for that matter. What do you think?
So much for all the claims that Al Queda has been substantially restricted.
I'm not seeing how this compares at all to the attack in Benghazi. Benghazi was a sustained attack that lasted several hours. If the suicide bomber detonated himself in the entrance I'm guessing we might have lost Marines, or perhaps a civilian who might've been trying to get in at the same time. I trust there will be an investigation into who is responsible. At the moment, I'm not seeing any questionable action, or lack thereof, by our government.
Let's not get the scandal dialogue going until there's actually a scandal to talk about. We should be mourning the loss of life here.
Obama is on the phone to H Reid right now asking him to craft a bill to send billions of dollars to Al Qaiada affiliates, Syria, Iran and another shipment of tanks and fighter jests to the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt. Not to worry folks, Obama has his eye on those chemical weapons , shoulder fired rocket launchers and missiles in Syria, so he will be able to tell us precisely when they are captured by Al Qaida extremist or transferred to Hezbollah. After that it is any body's guess as to when they will arrive in the city nearest to you.
Right! Fast & Furious was just a dry run. Holder's got this one.
all for his people