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| 2 Dead in Suicide Bombing at U.S. Embassy in Turkey | 2 Dead in Suicide Bombing at U.S. Embassy in Turkey |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| ISTANBUL — A suicide bomber attacked the American Embassy in the Turkish capital, Ankara, on Friday, detonating himself inside the compound in a blast that officials said killed at least one other person and wounded another. The State Department immediately warned American citizens in Turkey to avoid United States diplomatic missions in the country. | |
| Alaattin Yuksel, the governor of Ankara, told reporters in televised remarks that the explosion “happened inside the American Embassy.” He spoke in front of the building as he stood with the United States ambassador, Francis J. Ricciardone Jr.. | |
| The identity and motives of the bomber were not immediately clear, but Turkish news media said preliminary investigations by security officials said the bomber might have panicked while going through security controls at the embassy entrance and detonated a suicide belt. Mr. Yuksel said the other fatality in the blast was a security employee. | |
| Turkish-American relations are strong and friendly, but Turkey has not been immune to anti-American attacks in recent years. In 2008, three gunmen attacked security guards outside the American Consulate in Istanbul in a shootout that left the attackers and three police officers dead. | |
| After the suicide bombing, the United States Embassy posted an emergency message on its Web site advising American citizens not to visit the embassy or the consulates in Istanbul or Adana until further notice. It also advised Americans traveling or residing in Turkey “to be alert to the potential for violence, to avoide those areas where disturbances have occurred, and to avoid demonstrations and large gatherings.” | After the suicide bombing, the United States Embassy posted an emergency message on its Web site advising American citizens not to visit the embassy or the consulates in Istanbul or Adana until further notice. It also advised Americans traveling or residing in Turkey “to be alert to the potential for violence, to avoide those areas where disturbances have occurred, and to avoid demonstrations and large gatherings.” |
| The police in Ankara sealed off the roads around the embassy compound after the blast, witnesses said. | The police in Ankara sealed off the roads around the embassy compound after the blast, witnesses said. |
| “It happened two buildings away from us,” said Yunus Emre, a worker at a restaurant frequented by embassy officials. | “It happened two buildings away from us,” said Yunus Emre, a worker at a restaurant frequented by embassy officials. |
| “Our windows shook with a loud sound, and people who worked at the embassy rushed out in panic, running toward the embassy,” he said in a telephone interview. “There are already many security officials in the area at all times, but police and ambulances came almost immediately after.” | |
| Fikret Bila, a columnist with the Milliyet newspaper, which has offices in the area, said pieces of flesh and tree branches were strewn nearby. | |
| The roads around the embassy compound, located on a main thoroughfare in central Ankara, have been under routine police surveillance for several years. | The roads around the embassy compound, located on a main thoroughfare in central Ankara, have been under routine police surveillance for several years. |
| The attack came as the Milliyet newspaper reported the arrest of the son-in-law of Osama bin Laden in an Ankara security operation. But Mr. Bila said security officials did not believe that there were links between the reported arrest and the attack. | |
Sebnem Arsu reported from Istanbul, and Rick Gladstone from New York. Tim Arango contributed reporting from Istanbul. | Sebnem Arsu reported from Istanbul, and Rick Gladstone from New York. Tim Arango contributed reporting from Istanbul. |