The Turkish authorities have launched an investigation into the attack on the US Embassy in the Turkish capital of Ankara, the city governor's office said in a statement on Monday.
ANKARA (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 20th August, 2018) The Turkish authorities have launched an investigation into the attack on the US Embassy in the Turkish capital of Ankara, the city governor's office said in a statement on Monday.
Earlier in the day, media reported that unidentified assailants opened fire in the direction of the embassy.
"Today, at 5:30 a.m. (02:30 GMT), six shots were fired from a white car driving along Ataturk Boulevard toward the US Embassy. Three shots hit the metallic door and the window of the security's facility. There are no casualties. An investigation into the incident is underway," the statement read.
The incident took place against the backdrop of tense US-Turkish bilateral relations caused by the imprisonment of US pastor Andrew Brunson, who was detained in Turkey in 2016 over his alleged ties to the movement of Islamic cleric Fethullah Gulen, which Turkey holds responsible for orchestrating the failed military coup of 2016. The pastor was released from prison in late July, only to be moved to house arrest.
As bilateral ties worsened, the United States froze the assets of two Turkish ministers over their alleged role in Brunson's imprisonment and other human rights abuses in the country. Washington also doubled tariffs on imported Turkish steel and aluminum, which resulted in the Turkish lira falling to a historic low.
