Shots fired at gate of U.S. Embassy in Turkey – By CBS/AP (cbsnews.com) / Aug 20 2018
File photo shows U.S. Embassy in Ankara, Turkey, in December 2016. REUTERS
ANKARA, Turkey — Shots were fired at a security booth outside the U.S. Embassy in the Turkish capital, Ankara, early Monday, the Ankara Governorate said in a statement. Six rounds were fired from a moving white car, the statement said, and a preliminary investigation determined that three bullets hit the gate and a glass section of the booth, but no one was hurt. Police were searching for the car and suspects, who had not yet been identified.
U.S. Embassy spokesman David Gainer thanked police for their “rapid response.”
The U.S. mission in Ankara, which, along with the American consulate in Istanbul, has been the target of attacks by militants in the past, is closed this week as Turkey celebrates the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha.
Ties between Ankara and Washington have been strained over the case of an imprisoned American pastor, leading the U.S. to impose sanctions and increased tariffs that sent the Turkish lira tumbling last week.
Evangelical pastor Andrew Craig Brunson -currently under house arrest after more than 1½ years in prison- is facing up to 35 years in prison if convicted of espionage and terror-related charges.
U.S. President Donald Trump has called for his immediate release and threatened more sanctions. The continued detention of a Turkish-American NASA scientist and three local consular staff members adds to the tensions.
Last week, the U.S. president signed a defense spending bill that includes delaying the delivery of F-35 fighter jets pending a Pentagon report. U.S. senators have been working to block their delivery in response to Brunson’s arrest and Turkey’s pledge to buy Russian S-400 missile systems.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has called for a boycott on U.S.-made electronic products, with some citizens heeding his call and filming themselves breaking their iPhones. Turkey has also increased imports tariffs on some products.
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/us-embsssy-ankara-turkey-shots-fired-gate-reports/
