- Title: TURKEY: United States tightens security in Turkey missions following attack
- Date: 9th July 2008
- Summary: (BN10) ISTANBUL, TURKEY (JULY 9, 2008) (REUTERS) (SOUNDBITE) (Turkish) UNIDENTIFIED EYEWITNESS SAYING: "They arrived with a car, hiding their weapons in their shirts. Two policemen were inside this checkpoint. They shot one of them, and then other one on the head. Then two other policemen arrived, they shot one of the attackers in his arm. Then the attacker grabbed the gu
- Embargoed: 24th July 2008 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Turkey
- Country: Turkey
- Topics: Crime / Law Enforcement
- Reuters ID: LVA62LUE5LCGIITPIG7L607X9YLP
- Story Text: The United States tightened its security in its Turkey missions on Wednesday (July 9) following an armed attack on its Istanbul consulate.
Three policemen and three gunmen were killed when four attackers drove a car up to the high-walled compound situated to the north of Istanbul city centre and overlooking the Bosphorus waterway. Three jumped out as the car halted and began firing at police who approached.
"We have asked for additional security presence in Istanbul of course, as well as here and our consulate in Adana. And I understand clearly as you can see outside our embassy, there are some additional presence and I understand that it also been provided in Istanbul and Adana," U.S.
ambassador to Turkey Roy Wilson told reporters in Ankara.
Governor Muammer Guler said one of the police officers died at the scene in a gunbattle lasting several minutes, at a time of day when many Turks go there to apply for visas. Two had died of their wounds at a nearby hospital.
Two other people were also injured.
Turkey and the United States condemned the 11:00 am (0800 GMT) attack for which no one has yet claimed responsibility.
"We condemn these kind of terrorist activites. Turkey is fighting and will fight with those who organise, who are behind those kind of events," said Turkish President Abdullah Gul.
Television images showed four bodies lying on the ground by the gates of the consulate, with paramedics carrying out heart massage on one man. The shirt of another was ripped open. Blood was flowing from the head of a third.
"They arrived with a car, hiding their weapons in their shirts.
Two policemen were inside this checkpoint. They shot one of them, and then other one on the head. Then two other policemen arrived, they shot one of the attackers in his arm. Then the attacker grabbed the gun and shot himself on the head," said one unidentified eyewitness.
Governor Muammer Guler said one of the police officers had died at the scene in a gunbattle lasting several minutes. Two had died of their wounds at a nearby hospital.
Two other people were also injured.
One of the dead police officers was working at the consulate, and the two others were traffic officers.
The attack coincides with political tensions in Turkey. The ruling party is in a legal fight to avert closure over charges of anti-secular activities and police are probing a shadowy far-right group suspected of plotting a military coup.
Police have launched an operation to capture armed assailants who escaped.
Turkey has seen armed attacks from a variety of groups over the years, including Maoists, Trotskyists, Kurdish separatists and Islamist militants.
The most serious incidents were in November, 2003, when 62 people were killed in attacks by Islamist militants on two synagogues, a bank and the British consulate. Since then, security has been stepped up at most major consulates and embassies in Turkey.
Four people were killed and 15 wounded in an explosion in Istanbul, before U.S. President George W. Bush visited the city in June 2004.
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