Gunmen have opened fire at the US Consulate in Istanbul, hours after a deadly police station bomb attack in the city. The blast injured five police officers and two civilians, Al Jazeera reported citing state-run Anadolu News Agency.
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The U.S. Consulate building in Istanbul was attacked on Monday.
In the meantime a report attributed to the local Dogan news agency said no one was hurt in the attack on the consulate on Monday morning and the two assailants managed to escape.
This incident come at a time of increased tension between rebels of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) and Turkey.
The assault additionally comes at a time when Turkey is taking a extra lively position towards Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) fighters.
The government has also vowed to begin strikes against IS jihadists in Syria alongside US forces who have now started arriving to use the well-located Incirlik Turkish air base in the south of the country. One of the alleged suspects was detained by police.
In 2013, a suicide bombing at the US Embassy in Ankara killed a Turkish security guard and injured one other person. No group has yet claimed responsibility for the attack. He said the diplomatic site would remain closed “until further notice”.
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Police wearing flak jackets and holding machine guns blocked off streets leading to the consulate.
