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2013 United States embassy bombing in Ankara

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2013 United States embassy bombing in Ankara
Part of the DHKP/C insurgency in Turkey
Location of Ankara in Turkey
LocationEmbassy of the United States
Kavaklıdere, Ankara, Turkey
Date1 February 2013 (2013-02-01)
13:15 EET (UTC+02:00)
TargetUnited States embassy
Attack type
Suicide bombing
Deaths2 (including the perpetrator)
Injured3
PerpetratorsEcevit Şanlı

On 1 February 2013, a suicide bomber attacked the United States embassy in Ankara, Turkey, killing a security guard and wounding three others. The bombing was subsequently denounced as an act of terrorism by both Turkey and the United States.[1][2][3]

Attack

John Kerry, the US Secretary of State, gives a speech at a memorial ceremony in honour of Mustafa Akarsu at the embassy on 1 March 2013

At approximately 13:15 EET (11:15 UTC) on 1 February 2013, a suicide bomber detonated his explosives—6 kilograms (13 lb) of trinitrotoluene (TNT) and a hand grenade—at a side entrance to the United States embassy in the Kavaklıdere area of Ankara, killing a Turkish security guard and wounding three others.[1][3][4][5] The explosion also seriously wounded journalist Didem Tuncay, who was rushed to hospital shortly after the attack had occurred.[5][6] After visiting Tuncay in hospital, Francis J. Ricciardone, Jr., the United States ambassador to Turkey, described her as "one of the best" and added that she was due to have tea with him at the embassy.[7][8] Ricciardone also paid tribute to Mustafa Akarsu,[7] identified as the security guard who was killed in the bombing, saying that he was "a hero who [had] lost his life to protect the embassy staff".[8]

Perpetrator

The Revolutionary People's Liberation Party–Front, a Marxist–Leninist party designated as a terrorist organization by the United States government, claimed responsibility for the attack in a statement published on its website on 2 February. It also cited Turkish support for the opposition in the Syrian civil war as a reason for the attack.[5][7][9] Turkish officials reported that the bomber was Ecevit Şanlı, a 30-year-old member of the group.[10][11] The group also confirmed in its statement that the attack was perpetrated by Şanlı and that he sacrificed himself.[5] Şanlı was imprisoned from 1997 to 2000 for his involvement in an attack against a military guest house in Istanbul with a flamethrower.[10][12] Due to their alleged roles in the bombing, three more people were also arrested in Istanbul and Ankara.[11][13]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "Bomber attacks US embassy in Ankara, Turkey". BBC News. 1 February 2013. Retrieved 1 February 2013.
  2. ^ "DHKP-C group claims US embassy suicide blast in Ankara". BBC News. 2 February 2013. Retrieved 7 September 2013.
  3. ^ a b "US condemns Ankara embassy bombing". Al Jazeera. 2 February 2013. Retrieved 7 September 2013.
  4. ^ Burch, Jonathon (1 February 2013). "Suicide bomber kills guard at U.S. embassy in Turkey". Reuters. Retrieved 1 February 2013.
  5. ^ a b c d Torchia, Christopher (2 February 2013). "Turkey: Embassy bombers cling to Cold War ideology". AP via Yahoo! News. Retrieved 2 February 2013.
  6. ^ "Journalist injured after U.S. embassy blast 'has passed the critical condition'". Hürriyet Daily News. 1 February 2013. Retrieved 2 February 2013.
  7. ^ a b c Watson, Ivan; Botelho, Greg (2 February 2013). "Guard killed, journalist hurt in suicide bombing at U.S. Embassy in Turkey". CNN. Retrieved 2 February 2013.
  8. ^ a b "US ambassador visits woman wounded". TimeTurk. 1 February 2013. Retrieved 2 February 2013.
  9. ^ Arango, Tim; Arsu, Sebnem (2 February 2013). "Marxists Claim Bombing of U.S. Embassy in Turkey". The New York Times. Retrieved 3 February 2013.
  10. ^ a b "Suicide bomber member of the outlawed leftist group DHKP/C: Erdoğan". Hürriyet Daily News. 1 February 2013. Retrieved 2 February 2013.
  11. ^ a b Tattersall, Nick (2 February 2013). "Turkey says tests confirm leftist bombed U.S. embassy". Reuters. Retrieved 3 February 2013.
  12. ^ Zalewski, Piotr (2 February 2013). "The U.S. Embassy Bombing in Turkey: The Unusual Suspects". Time. Retrieved 3 February 2013.
  13. ^ "Website attributes embassy attack to Turkish leftist group". Euronews. 3 February 2013. Retrieved 3 February 2013.
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