Six killed in armed attack on US consulate in Istanbul

09/07/2008

ANKARA, Turkey -- Six people died Wednesday (July 9th) in a shootout near the US consulate in Istanbul at around 11am local time. Eyewitnesses said that armed assailants opened fire from their vehicle at police officers stationed outside the consulate. According to Istanbul Governor Muammer Guler, the dead included three policemen and three of the gunmen. One police officer was injured, and witnesses said one of the attackers escaped.

At a press conference in Ankara., US Ambassador Ross Wilson described the attack as an "obvious act of terrorism" and said he had asked Turkey to beef up security measures. "Our countries will stand together to confront this," he added. (AP, CNN Turk, Hurryiet, AFP, NTV, BBC, Anadolu news agency, Bloomberg, DPA - 09/07/08)