A suicide bomber killed himself and a Turkish security guard on Friday at the United States Embassy in Ankara, Turkey, the Associated Press reported. American citizens have been warned to avoid diplomatic facilities in Turkey and be careful in large crowds.
The U.S. quickly defined the attack as a "terrorist attack" through White House spokesman Jay Carney, saying that "a suicide bombing on the perimeter of an embassy is by definition an act of terror," according to the AP.
Here's the latest news on the embassy attack.
* In a post issued on its Facebook account, U.S. State Department spokesperson Victoria Nuland said "We can confirm a terrorist blast at a check point on the perimeter of our embassy compound in Ankara, Turkey, at 1:13 p.m. local time. We are working closely with the Turkish national police to make a full assessment of the damage and the casualties, and to begin an investigation. We will share more information as it becomes available."
* Britain also advised travelers to "avoid the vicinity" of the embassy through its Foreign and Commonwealth Office Facebook site.
* The Christian Science Monitor noted that the explosion injured several individuals in the vicinity of the blast.
* U.S. Ambassador Francis Ricciardone emphasized that the U.S. and Turkey were fighting terrorism together and thanked the country for its "its solidarity and outrage over the incident," according to the AP.
* In his statement, Ricciardone added that "from today's event, it is clear that we both suffer from this terrible, terrible problem of today's world. We are determined after events like this even more to cooperate together until we defeat this problem together."
* Another report from the Associated Press indicates that the suicide bomber may be member of the outlawed Revolutionary People's Liberation Party-Front, a left-wing militant organization. The group has been designated a terrorist group by the United States and has kept a low profile for the past few years.
* However, the Christian Science Monitor reported that the attack could have come from religious extremists, Kurdish separatists, or regional rivals such as Iran or Syria.
* Another report from the Christian Science Monitor noted that the attack follows the arrest in Ankara of Osama bin Laden's son-in-law "Suleyman M." The man was recently arrested at his hotel following intelligence-sharing from the U.S. with Turkey.
Shawn Humphrey is a former contributor to The Flint Journal and an amateur Africanist, focusing his personal studies on human rights and political issues on the continent.
