Turkey Considers Attack On US Embassy Attempt To 'Create Chaos' - Presidential Spokesman

The Turkish authorities condemn the shooting attack on the US Embassy in Ankara, considering it an attempt to "create chaos," Turkish presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalin said on Monday.

ANKARA (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 20th August, 2018) The Turkish authorities condemn the shooting attack on the US Embassy in Ankara, considering it an attempt to "create chaos," Turkish presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalin said on Monday.

Ankara governor's press office reported that earlier in the day, unidentified assailants had fired six shots from a white car driving along Ataturk Boulevard toward the US Embassy. Three shots hit the security's facility, causing no casualties.

"We condemn the attack on the US Embassy. This is an apparent attempt to create chaos. Turkey is a safe country, and all the foreign missions are protected by law. The incident is being investigated, and everything will be clarified in near future," Kalin wrote on Twitter.

The incident took place amid tensions in US-Turkish 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 the relations deteriorated, Washington froze the assets of two Turkish ministers, accusing them of contributing to Brunson's imprisonment and other human rights abuses in the country, and also doubled tariffs on imported Turkish steel and aluminum, which resulted in the Turkish lira falling to a historic low.