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Subscribe to RSSThe man suspected of bombing the U.S. embassy in Turkey has been described as a well-known militant from a far-left group. Meanwhile, clashes outside the presidential palace in Egypt indicate President Morsi may be losing control. NBC's Richard Engel reports.
The Turkish far-left group DHKP-C claimed responsibility for a suicide bomb attack on the U.S. Embassy in Ankara, according to a statement on a website linked to the group, news agencies reported.
The statement posted Saturday on "The People's Cry" website said Ecevit Sanli carried out "an act of self-sacrifice on Feb. 1, 2013, by entering the Ankara embassy of the United States, murderer of the peoples of the world," according to Reuters and The Associated Press.
The DHKP-C's statement also called Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan a U.S. "puppet," according to Reuters.
"Murderer America! You will not run away from people's rage," the statement read, warning Erdogan that he was also a target.
A picture the website claimed was of the bomber was posted with the statement. A government terror expert confirmed the authenticity of the website, the AP reported.
The Ankara governor's office said DNA tests showed Sanli had indeed been the attacker. Authorities said Sanli had fled Turkey 10 years ago and was wanted by the police, according to Reuters.
Sanli had previously been jailed in 1997 for attacks on a police station and a military staff college in Istanbul, but Reuters said his sentence was postponed because he became sick during a hunger strike. He was never imprisoned again.
After he was sentenced to life in prison in 2002, Sanli fled Turkey, according to Reuters. Interior Minister Muammer Guler said he was able to return to the country using false documents.
The Revolutionary People's Liberation Party-Front, or DHKP-C, is a far-left group designated a terrorist organization by the United States, Turkey and the European Union. Leftist groups such as the DHKP-C strongly oppose the United States' influence over Turkey.
Also on Saturday, Turkish state media said officials detained three people in Istanbul and Ankara in connection with the attack, Reuters reported.
A suicide bomber blew himself up at an entrance to the U.S. Embassy compound in Ankara on Friday. The bomber and a Turkish guard were killed in the attack, which the U.S. described as "an act of terror."
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The U.S. flag flies at half-staff a day after a suicide bomber struck the U.S. Embassy in Ankara.
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. A Turkish journalist on her way to visit the ambassador was critically wounded.
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.
SITE Intelligence Group via AFP - Getty Images
This image released by the SITE Intelligence Group on Feb. 2, shows a man identified as Ecevit Sanli on the website of the Revolutionary People's Liberation Party-Front, a Turkey-based radical Marxist-Leninist group, that claimed responsibility for the suicide bombing at the U.S. Embassy in Ankara on Feb. 1.
State Department spokeswoman Victoria 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.
The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.
Related:
US Embassy compound in Turkey hit by 'terrorist' attack
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Lets make sure that the next gun law bill passed, will ban Liberals from owning guns. Crime problem solved
The federal goverment will never take our guns---Honest Abe Lincoln tryed to do that in 1861---1865---but the south lost the Civil War because Honest Abe Gay Lincoln told newly arrived immigrants to go south to kill--burn--rape and he took away the free labor--no one to pick cotton--Now with open borders----Mexicans have over ran the United States---up to 35,000,000 illegals here in the U.S.
There were an awful lot of Union soldiers who died or were maimed who were NOT immigrants, Alan. And the South had their own immigrant soldiers (Louisiana Tigers, for example).
Alan Fischer, the actual number is around 11 million but that was a close guess anyway.
Lies!!! Believe me this was not the stated group. This was radical islamists pushing Turkey further down the road. Mark these words and wait for the truth to finally surface.
I believe you are correct.
Why even bother with reality if you are just going to make up your own anyway?
Just like we all assumed the Oklahoma City bombing was radical islamists.
Of course, you have no way of knowing what you claim to know.
I suspect they are Muslims no matter what they call themselves....
How can a Muslim be a Marxist-Leninist?
Ask Barack Obama.
People call themselves al sorts of things. I'm sure there are some people in the world who actually think of themselves as both Muslim and Communist, although in practice they may be neither.
The five needs to get ran out of the Three.
Hey...!! you elected idiots in DC. Wake the hell up..!!
Our embassy's are at risk in certain parts of the world... D a m n the white hat... Put some serious firepower in the guards hands... Let everyone know if they attack, there's going to bodies stacked at the gate and walls....
Actually, the security worked. The bomber only got to the gate and not inside and the person who was killed was a guard (as sad as that was, his job is to put his life on the line, which he did.)
Wow! A Confederate redneck who only got to the third grade. WTF! I am shocked!
We did nothing when they attacked the Embassies in Egypt and Libya recently, so that set the stage for more attacks.
Turkey is an American ally and a member of NATO. The attacker in Istanbul was a communist and had nothing in common with those who attacked our embassies in Arab countries.My point is,the events are not related and your point is nonsensical.
What on earth does the attach in Turkey have to do with the attacks in Egypt and Libya?
Turkey is an ally - for now - Egypt was an ally and their islamist extremists (PC for terrorists) attacked our Embassy in Cairo. The idea that we project weakness is enough for these groups to attack without much fear of retaliation.
Just who,in a sovereign country are we going to retaliate against? If an American attacked the Turkish Embassy in Washington,would we expect or even allow Turkey "to retaliate". Farideh..... you should think before you post.
These people are insane to commit suicide. Losers too.
Question for all you hicks,yokels,survivalists,low information voters,Tea Partiers,confederates,racists,angry white guys,evangelicals,southern white males,right wing crazies....you know today's Republican Party....Why would a Left Wing Radical attack an American Embassy if America's President was a Left Wing Radical ? Answer: He wouldn't...bcause Barack Obama is a Centrist...you know that place where the majority of Americans find themselves.
Question for all you elitists, pseudo-intellectuals, lifetime liberal arts college students, welfare mooches, dopers, predatory homosexual pedophiles, baby-murderers, angry KKK members, Nazi left wing crazies....you know today's Democrat Party....Why would a Left Wing Radical attack an American Embassy if America's President was a Left Wing Radical ? Answer: That's what they do...because Barack Hussein is a Leftist...you know that place where the screeching minority of Americans find themselves.
"Why would a Left Wing Radical attack an American Embassy if America's President was a Left Wing Radical ?"
Perhaps YOU are the one who needs to think about that question more carefully. If you are capable of it.
Notice the right-wing nuts are incapable of processing the question?
Of course, anybody who thinks compassion for the poor = communism is off the charts in the first place.
It truly amazes me that these low level operatives who are truly deranged, would sacrifice themselves in these fruitless endeavors, as the leaders of these misguided band of nuts never do it themselves.....
These people are sick and have zero chance of making any serious change whatsoever......
They're DemoKKKrats- what did you expect?
Quick, fair trial. Then string 'em up
I'm sure everyone thought it was a Muslim extremist group, and it turns out to be an atheist Marxist bunch! It would make me laugh except for the fact that an innocent man, a Turk defending American soil, died.
Something must be done about all these far-left terrorists. Just look at the damage that the DemoKKKrats have done to our great nation.
Vern, are you really that stupid or are you just trolling for some kind of attention? I'm afraid it may be both.
jock59801 (41.1):
You are correct. Vern is also extremely ignorant. He can help himself but he won't.
Turkish Democrats. The hits just keep on coming.
....an American Far-left group currently occupies the White House!
Ah, our three favorite hateful trolls are lined up in a row. Isn't that cute.
Turkey doesn't fool around.
Now, why would a far left group attack a socialist country? Oh, wait a minute....
And with the suicide bombing the group is now down to 2 people.
Turkey. What a shiite hole
Well, this is a shocker to me. Who knew a Marxist would blow themselves up. I stand corrected.
"I still think this was a spontaneous demonstration that got out of hand," Hillary told reporters today.
Bums...
You made it a quote...now, prove it
Here is something for you to think about: How many wars and incursions has the US started since WW2 (no country has attacked us since then - NO! NO! 9/11 was not a country and the people involved were primarily Saudi, not Iraq)? Give up? Here is a list (minus Afghanistan and Pakistan, WHICH CAN BE ADDED):
Here is a list of the wars and interventions since the end of WWII:
United States Intervention in Greek Election, 1947-1949
Operation PBFORTUNE, Guatemala, 1952
Operation Ajax, US overthrow of Iranian Government, 1953
Operation PBSUCCESS, Guatemala, 1954
Bay of Pigs Invasion, Cuba, 1961
Operation Powerpack, Dominican Republic, 1965 - 1966
Korean War, 1950 - 1953
United States overthrow of Guatemalan Government, 1907-1933
Operation Blue Bat, Lebanon, 1958
United States Intervention at Panama Canal, 1958
Vietnam War, 1962 - 1973
United States Occupation of Laos, 1962 - 1973
United States Intervention at Panama Canal, 1964
Cambodian Civil War, 1969 - 1970
United States Overthrow of Chilean Government, 1964
Turkish invasion of Cyprus, 1974
Operation Eagle Claw, Iran hostage crisis, 1980
First Gulf of Sidra Incident, Libya, 1981
Contra War, El Salvador, 1981-1990
Occupation of Beirut, Lebanon, 1982-1984
Invasion of Grenada, Grenada, 1983-1984
Operation El Dorado Canyon, Libya, 1986
Iran-Iraq War, 1987 - 1989
Operation Just Cause, Panama 1989 - 1990
Second Gulf of Sidra Incident, Libya, 1989
Persian Gulf War, Iraq, 1991
Operation Desert Shield, 1991
Operation Desert Storm, 1991
Somali Civil War, 1992 - 1994
Operation Provide Relief, 1992
Operation Restore Hope, 1992 - 1994
Yugoslav wars, 1994 - 1999
Bosnian Conflict, 1994 - 1995
Kosovo Conflict, 1997 - 1999
War on Terrorism, 2001 - present
Operation Enduring Freedom - Afghanistan 2001 - present
Operation Enduring Freedom - Philippines 2002 - present
Operation Enduring Freedom - Horn of Africa 2002 - present
Operation Iraqi Freedom, 2003 - present
Waziristan War, 2004 - present
War in Somalia, 2006 - present
Operation Iraqi Freedom - Trans Sahara 2007 - present
Jeez, I wonder why foreigners seem to get mad when we run around the world killing people in other countries (without a Declaration of War, I might add). We would LOVE it if they came over here and did the same thing to us.
Our task might be a little easier if we quit spending money on our war machine (Name just one other country that has military bases spread all over the world?) and started spending it on our infrastructure (high speed trains, bridges, education, etc.) and re-building our industries.
Why is it that an attack by 1 suicide Bomber is a 'Terrorist Attack' but when a couple dozen or more armed men attack it was because of a video?
Typical Slodon, the biggest hypocrite and liar on the net
Let's be honest here, none of the 2012 presidential candidates were any good, it's been that way for some years, the last great president we had as a country was probably Teddy Roosevelt. If we could just find someone with his progressive 'fix-it' ideas, and the 'work hard' conservative attitude; we as a country would be better off as a whole. It doesn't matter if you are a democrat or a republican, we need to work together as a country or we will go nowhere, who cares if you think a dem president made a bad decision? So have some republican presidents, and visa versa. So, to all you muck-slingers getting played by this political nonsense I hope you do realize you are just pawns in the game of the greats when you play into dem vs. rep or left vs. right. There is no ONE way for our country to go, instead of voting based on who is proposing it, how about you vote based on what is being proposed? Health care would be amazing to have free for the country, we would see such an increase in overall health of the country it would seem Ludacris not to have voted for it, but just because I like that idea doesn't mean i'm a democrat/leftist, just the opposite, I love my guns and rifles, and I won't let anyone take them away from me, that doesn't make me a republican/rightwing either. I prefer to make my decisions based on facts, evidence, and the benefits it will have to society. The minute the public starts playing into political agendas is the minute we the people stop caring about each other, and this is why the politicians want this. Then they can create laws based on just their name being attached to it, giving them much more power than they ever should have had, they can pass laws and acts which limit our freedoms and basic rights. I don't care what race you are, what your occupation is, whether you're a criminal or a law abiding citizen, you have unalienable rights that YOU must protect. Until we can fill the house and senate with people who aren't politicians(which serve to help themselves) but are rather citizens(serve each other, us) we will all be subject to their ridiculousness and their absolute authority. I don't believe corruption will ever be done with completely, and I don't believe we will ever have a utopia of a country, but damnit we should try! I don't want a president who is going to give everything to me, nor a president who is going to give everything to my neighbor, I want a president who can give me and the rest of America a 'square deal'. And the same goes for every politician at the city, state, and national level! Leave the politics out of politics and we can save this country yet, but leave them there and we will rot. Just my two cents ^_^
Okay, this gives us what we need -- targets. If anyone known to be a member of this group remains alive by this time next year it will be a major failure.
Saying they're far left is nothing but a distraction, an attempt to whitewash the fact that they're Muslims. Get it, they're MUSLIMS, the people who worship death and decay.
Left and Muslim. Actually no hope at all for recovery. Wait that is not fair. Muslims can be rehabilitated so there is hope
leftisfascist
Where's your post about welfare and food stamps?
Have you been drinking????