|
Six killed in a terror attack on U.S. Consulate in Turkey's Istanbul |
 |
 |
 |
|
Written by Hurriyet
|
|
Wednesday, 09 July 2008 07:52 |
|
Three unidentified gunmen and three Turkish policemen were killed Wednesday in an attack on a police guardpost at the main entrance of the well-fortified US consulate in Istanbul that officials labeled a "terrorist" act.
The three assailants jumped from a car and opened fire at the police checkpoint around 11:00am (0800 GMT), officials told reporters, adding that they also fired shots at the building.
The security forces returned fire, killing all three gunmen.
The assailants "directly" targeted the police post outside the high-walled US consulate in the upscale district of Istinye, Istanbul province Governor Muammer Guler said.
Two other people, a policeman and the driver of a towing vehicle, were also injured, he said.
"There is no doubt that this is a terrorist attack," Istanbul Gov. Muammer Guler said.
Istanbul's chief prosecutor Aykut Cengiz Engin said the attackers were armed with pistols and shotguns. Forensic teams were seen examining a shotgun on the ground.
The attack occurred right outside the high-walled consulate compound in Istinye district. Guns and rifles were seized at the scene after the shootout, which lasted about eight minutes.
Engin said this is "a terrorist attack". "The 20-25 year old attackers used pomp action shotguns and handguns in the attack. The attack was carried out by four people. One of the attackers fled the scene in the vehicle used in the attack," he told reporters.
Yavuz Erkut Yuksel, a bystander, told CNN-Turk television the attackers emerged from a white vehicle and surprised the guard.
"One of them approached a policeman while hiding his gun and shot him in the head," Yuksel said.
Guler said two of the attackers were Turkish nationals. Police were pursuing a fourth attacker who reportedly escaped in a car.
Turkish President Abdullah Gul strongly condemned the terrorist attack and said "Turkey will fight against those who masterminded such acts and the mentality behind it till the end," on Wednesday.
CONSULATE STAFF
The car, described either as white or grey, was driven by a fourth accomplice who drove off after the attack.
The security forces launched a major hunt for the vehicle and a police helicopter was over flying the area.
A U.S. Embassy spokeswoman said there were no reports of casualties among American consulate employees, but could not confirm Turkish media reports of injuries and deaths.
"At about 11 a.m., at least one assailant opened fire on the Turkish police guardpost area near the main entrance to the consulate," the U.S. embassy spokeswoman said. "We're cooperating with the police and taking the appropriate measures."
The secure U.S. consulate building was built after Islamic militants linked to al-Qaeda carried out suicide bombings in 2003 that targeted two synagogues, the British Consulate and a British bank in Istanbul. Those attacks killed 58 people.
The consulate occupies an imposing structure on a hill in Istinye, a densely residential neighborhood along the Bosporus Strait on the European side of Istanbul. |