6 killed in 'terrorist attack' at U.S. consulate

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/25598788

3 cops, 3 attackers die in 15-minute gunbattle outside complex in Turkey

ISTANBUL, Turkey - At least six people were killed Wednesday after gunmen opened fire outside the U.S. consulate in Istanbul.

Several armed men attacked the police post at the consulate's entrance at around 11 a.m. local time, Turkish television channels reported.

A Turkish prosecutor described the incident as a "terrorist attack".

Istanbul Gov. Muammer Guler said that three police officers and three attackers were killed during the 15-minute shootout. Police have launched an operation to capture the suspects who escaped.

A U.S. Embassy spokeswoman said there were no reports of casualties among American consulate employees.

The spokeswoman said "at least one assailant opened fire on the Turkish police guardpost area near the main entrance to the consulate." She requested anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter.

Television images appeared to show four bodies on the ground in front of the high-walled complex.

Private NTV television reported that four police officers had been shot.

'Shot him in the head'
Yavuz Erkut Yuksel, a witness, told CNN-Turk television that the attackers emerged from a white vehicle.

"One of them approached a policeman while hiding his gun and shot him in the head," Yuksel said.

Enis Yilmaz, who was going to the consulate for a visa application, told Reuters that one of the assailants drove off in a vehicle.

"They (assailants) were four people. Three of them got out of the car and fired at the police. I saw them dead afterwards lying on the ground and many more dead among the police," he said.
Ulus Durgut, 24, who was going to the heavily-guarded compound on the European side of Istanbul, described the attacker as "bearded men" with "long hair".

Mutlu Gunes, a 13-year-old eyewitness, told reporters he was on his way to a mosque when he spotted several men preparing guns and placing them inside a Ford Focus car before driving to the nearby consulate.

"The three of them got out of the car. One of them shot a policeman in the chest and I saw one terrorist killing himself after being shot by police. Then I hid under a car," Gunes told reporters.

Turkey has seen armed attacks from a variety of groups over the years, including Maoists, Trotskyists, Kurdish separatists and Islamist militants.

The secure U.S. consulate building was built after homegrown Islamic militants linked to al-Qaida carried out suicide bombings that targeted two synagogues, the British Consulate and a British bank in Istanbul in 2003, killing 58 people.
_________________
"The conversion of the entire population to Islam and the extinction of every form of dissent is the ideal of the Muslim State - This is Islamic Peace"

A moderate Moslem is one who sends others blow themselves up.

Gun battle at US consulate in Constantinople: "Terrorists, with beards and long hair"

(Alternate Dhimmi Headline) "Hippies shot Dead while Handing out Flowers at Turkish consulate by evil U.S. guards"

http://www.jihadwatch.org/archives/021693.php

Shootout in Occupied Constantinople. "Turkey shooting: Six dead in US consulate attack in Istanbul," from the Telegraph, July 9 (thanks to all who sent this in):

Three policemen and three unidentified gunmen have been killed during a 15-minute gun battle at the United States consulate in Istanbul.

Three gunmen stormed a guard post near the main entrance of the high-walled compound, reportedly shooting a Turkish police officer in the head.

A full-scale gun battle then erupted at the heavily-guarded compound, ending in the deaths of the three assailants. The city’s governor, Muammer Guler, said a police officer had died at the scene while two others died of their wounds soon after in hospital....

Witness Yavuz Erkut Yuksel said the attackers emerged from a white vehicle and surprised the officer at the guard post. “One of them approached a policeman while hiding his gun and shot him in the head,” he said.

Another witness described the attackers as “terrorists, with beards and long hair.”...
_________________
"The conversion of the entire population to Islam and the extinction of every form of dissent is the ideal of the Muslim State - This is Islamic Peace"

A moderate Moslem is one who sends others blow themselves up.

Turkey suspects al-Qaida in attack on US consulate

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080709/ap_on_re_mi_ea/turkey_us_consulate_attack

ISTANBUL, Turkey - Suspected al-Qaida militants armed with pistols and shotguns attacked a police guard post outside the U.S. consulate in Istanbul on Wednesday, sparking a gunbattle that left three attackers and three officers dead.
ADVERTISEMENT

Turkish and U.S. officials publicly labeled the shooting a terrorist attack and a police official in Istanbul told The Associated Press that authorities suspected al-Qaida was behind it. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to brief journalists on the investigation.

The U.S. ambassador to Turkey and Turkey's foreign ministry said security around all American diplomatic missions in Turkey had been increased.

Yavuz Erkut Yuksel, a bystander, told CNN-Turk television the attackers emerged from a vehicle and surprised the guard.

"One of them approached a policeman while hiding his gun and shot him in the head," Yuksel said.

Footage from a security camera at the site showed four armed and bearded men emerging from a car and killing a traffic policeman, then running toward a guard post some 50 yards away as other policemen fired back, the Dogan news agency reported.

The shootout caused panic and scattered people who were waiting in a line for visas. U.S. security personnel went inside the compound because they are not authorized to engage in armed action on Turkish soil, Dogan said.

A fourth policeman and the driver of a towing vehicle were wounded in the attack, Istanbul Gov. Muammer Guler said.

U.S. Ambassador Ross Wilson said the consul general in Istanbul, Sharon Wiener, told him that that consulate staff were "safe and accounted for."

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Wednesday that she did not know who was responsible and for the attack and she would soon talk with Turkey's foreign minister.

"Obviously first of all the United States deeply regrets the loss of life and condolences go out to the families of those who were killed," Rice saida as she traveled to Tbilisi, Georgia. "I know that some policemen were among those who died and we very much appreciate what was clearly a very rapid and proper response from the government to try to deal with the security situation in front of our consulate."

At least two of the attackers were Turkish nationals, Guler said. Police said they were pursuing at least one attacker who escaped in a car after the attack outside the high-walled consulate compound in the residential Istinye district around 11 a.m.

NTV television, citing police sources, said officials feared the car might be loaded with explosives. Police would not confirm that report.

Interior Minister Besir Atalay said at the scene that there had been no claim of responsibility and police would not reveal the identities of the attackers and their possible affiliations for the sake of the investigation.

Television footage showed four people lying on the ground at the foot of the consulate's wall before officials removed the bodies.

"The Turkish police responded quickly and effectively. We are deeply grateful for the work that they do to protect our official U.S. government establishments here," Wilson said. "It is, of course, inappropriate now to speculate on who may have done this or why. It is an obvious act of terrorism. Our countries will stand together and confront this, as we have in the past."

The secure U.S. consulate building was built after homegrown Islamic militants linked to al-Qaida carried out suicide bombings in 2003 that targeted two synagogues, the British Consulate and a British bank in Istanbul. Those attacks killed 58 people.

"There is no doubt that this is a terrorist attack," said Guler, who described the three slain policemen as "martyred."

The shooting coincided with the visit to Istanbul of top American officials involved in the fight against illegal drugs. Michele Leonhart, acting administrator of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and Scott Burns, deputy director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, were attending an anti-drug conference in another part of Istanbul Wednesday morning. It was not clear if they had planned to visit the consulate but visiting U.S. delegations almost always visit diplomatic missions.

Istanbul prosecutor Aykut Cengiz Engin said the attackers were armed with pistols and shotguns. Forensic teams were seen examining a shotgun on the ground.

The consulate occupies an imposing structure on a hill in Istinye, a densely residential neighborhood along the Bosporus Strait on the European side of Istanbul.

A reporter for The Associated Press who visited the consulate last week drove unimpeded past an entrance for the public and parked on a residential street two blocks away. The area directly in front of the entrance was kept clear of vehicles.

Several guards stood in separate locations outside the entrance, but weapons were not on display; Turkish civilians seeking visas and other documents sat at cafes across the street.
_________________
"The conversion of the entire population to Islam and the extinction of every form of dissent is the ideal of the Muslim State - This is Islamic Peace"

A moderate Moslem is one who sends others blow themselves up.