Suicide bomber strikes at U.S. embassy in Turkey

ANKARA, BELGRADE A suicide bombing attack that took place at the entrance to the U.S. embassy in Ankara on Friday killed two people. The attacker and a security guard died in the incident, while a woman was seriously injured. Suicide bomber strikes at U.S. embassy in Turkey Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan demanded an immediate investigation, while Interior Minister Muammer Guler said that he believed that the attacker was a Turkish citizen associated with a "domestic leftist group". Local media identified the attacker as 30-year Ecevit Sanli. According to their findings, Sanli was a member of the outlawed Revolutionary People's Liberation Party. He was arrested in 1997 for attacking a police building and a military complex in Istanbul. While in prison in 2000, he participated in several hunger strikes, which in some cases ended in death of prisoners. Due to ill health, he was released on parole in 2002. The U.S. embassy said in a statement said that it had taken all necessary measures and thanked the Turkish authorities for the rapid intervention. Officials from the U.S. consulate in Istanbul told American citizens to avoid their country's offices in Turkey in the coming period and to be particularly vigilant due to possible outbreaks of violence. U.S. Ambassador to Ankara Francis Richardson told reporters in front of the embassy that the attack would not affect the relations between his country and Turkey, and that the two countries "will still be friends". According to him, Turkey and Washington will work closely to shed light on the incident. A White House spokesman on Friday referred to the incident as a terrorist act but added that it was still unknown who was behind it. Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, who is on an official visit to Belgrade, Serbia, said that those responsible for the bombing of the U.S. embassy would soon be brought to justice, and the whole event be completely cleared. "All available security services work to shed light on the attack in Ankara, while the events that happened in our country saddened us very much. Turkish officials, together with the entire security establishment, always attached great importance to the security of foreign diplomatic missions and we will continue with this practice," Davutoglu told Turkey's Anatolia agency. (Tanjug) B92

Suicide bomber strikes at U.S. embassy in Turkey

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan demanded an immediate investigation, while Interior Minister Muammer Guler said that he believed that the attacker was a Turkish citizen associated with a "domestic leftist group".

Local media identified the attacker as 30-year Ecevit Sanli. According to their findings, Sanli was a member of the outlawed Revolutionary People's Liberation Party.

He was arrested in 1997 for attacking a police building and a military complex in Istanbul. While in prison in 2000, he participated in several hunger strikes, which in some cases ended in death of prisoners. Due to ill health, he was released on parole in 2002.

The U.S. embassy said in a statement said that it had taken all necessary measures and thanked the Turkish authorities for the rapid intervention.

Officials from the U.S. consulate in Istanbul told American citizens to avoid their country's offices in Turkey in the coming period and to be particularly vigilant due to possible outbreaks of violence.

U.S. Ambassador to Ankara Francis Richardson told reporters in front of the embassy that the attack would not affect the relations between his country and Turkey, and that the two countries "will still be friends".

According to him, Turkey and Washington will work closely to shed light on the incident.

A White House spokesman on Friday referred to the incident as a terrorist act but added that it was still unknown who was behind it.

Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, who is on an official visit to Belgrade, Serbia, said that those responsible for the bombing of the U.S. embassy would soon be brought to justice, and the whole event be completely cleared.

"All available security services work to shed light on the attack in Ankara, while the events that happened in our country saddened us very much. Turkish officials, together with the entire security establishment, always attached great importance to the security of foreign diplomatic missions and we will continue with this practice," Davutoglu told Turkey's Anatolia agency.