Unidentified assailants opened gunfire on the US Embassy in the Turkish capital of Ankara on Monday amid increased tensions between the two countries, local media reported.
ANKARA (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 20th August, 2018) Unidentified assailants opened gunfire on the US Embassy in the Turkish capital of Ankara on Monday amid increased tensions between the two countries, local media reported.
The incident took place at around 05:00 a.m. (02:00 GMT) when four or five shots were fired from a car that was driving along the Ataturk Boulevard where the diplomatic missions building is located, the Haberturk tv broadcaster reported.
The gunshots hit a security cabin located near the building, causing no casualties, the outlet added.
Police arrived at the scene of the incident, the broadcaster pointed out, noting that the law enforcement had begun a manhunt for the perpetrators of the shooting.
The incident took place amid the deterioration of Ankara-Washington relations over the imprisonment of US pastor Andrew Brunson, arrested in Turkey on suspicion of ties to the movement of the Islamic cleric Fethullah Gulen, which is accused of orchestrating the 2016 failed military coup in the country. The pastor was since released from prison in late July and placed under house arrest.
On August 10, US President Donald Trump authorized the doubling of steel and aluminum tariffs on Turkey, up to 50 and 20 percent, respectively, which resulted in the Turkish lira falling to a new historic low.
