At Least 2 Dead in Terror Attack on US Embassy in Turkey

A suicide bomber has detonated an explosive at the American Embassy in Ankara, Turkey. One guard and the bomber have been confirmed dead. The number of injuries is not yet disclosed.

According to Sky News:

The bomber’s device went off as he was going though an X-ray machine at a security gatehouse, Sky sources said.

The embassy is on red alert and staff have gone into shelters, sources added.

Several other people were reportedly hurt in the attack in the city of Ankara.

An Associated Press journalist reported seeing a body in the street in front of a side entrance of the embassy.

A Reuters witness reported seeing one wounded person being lifted into an ambulance.

No one has claimed responsibility for the attack at this time, but the area is rife with militants. According to a report on the Huffington Post website:

Kurdish rebels and Islamic militants are active in Turkey. Kurdish rebels, who are fighting for autonomy in the Kurdish-dominated southeast, have dramatically stepped up attacks in Turkey over the last year.

As well, homegrown Islamic militants tied to al-Qaida have carried out suicide bombings in Istanbul, killing 58, in 2003. The targets were the British consulate, a British bank and two synagogues.

In 2008, an attack blamed on al-Qaida-affiliated militants outside the U.S. Consulate in Istanbul left three assailants and three policemen dead.