Two dead after US embassy explosion in Turkey

Published on 01/02/2013 15:01

A suspected suicide bomber set off a device at the entrance of the US Embassy in Ankara, Turkey, killing himself and another person, officials said today.

• Two dead after attack on US embassy in Ankara, Turkey

• Suspected suicide bomber dies along with US embassy guard

US ambassador Francis Ricciardione said that a guard at the gate was killed in the blast, and a Turkish citizen was wounded.

The bomb appeared to have exploded inside the security checkpoint at the side entrance of the embassy, but did not do damage inside the embassy itself.

Footage showed that the door had been blown off its hinges and debris littered the ground and across the road.

Police swarmed into the area and several ambulances were sent to the scene. One woman who appeared to be seriously injured was seen being carried into an ambulance.

A police official said they had examined security cameras around the embassy and had identified two people suspected of being responsible for the attack.

“The US Embassy would like to thank the Turkish Government, the media, and members of the public for their expressions of solidarity and outrage over the incident,” the US embassy said in a statement.