Ankara Shooting: US Embassy Attacked Hours After Russian Diplomat Andrey Karlov's Assassination

A shooter opened fire outside the U.S. Embassy in Ankara hours after the Russian envoy to Turkey was shot dead by a gunman in an art gallery nearby, local media reports said. No one was injured in the incident.

The man allegedly tried to enter the embassy armed with a pump action shotgun. He fired at least eight bullets before being apprehended by security guards. Videos circulated online show the shooter, identified by local media as Sahin S., yelling at the authorities while being led to the police car after the shootout.

“U.S. Embassy in Ankara and Consulates Istanbul and Adana closed for normal operations today. Visa appointments will be rescheduled,” the embassy announced on Twitter.

The embassy is located about 2.5 miles from the art gallery where Ambassador Andrey Karlov was assassinated Monday by an off-duty Turkish police officer, Mert Altintas.

Karlov was speaking at an exhibition in Ankara when he was shot and killed. Altintas shouted “Allahu akbar,” or “God is great,” before opening fire on Russia’s ambassador to Turkey.

Altintas also yelled: “Don’t forget Aleppo! Don’t forget Syria! As long as our brothers are not safe, you will not enjoy safety. Whoever has a share in this oppression will pay for it one-by-one.”

He was later gunned down by security forces, local media reports said.

The U.S. Department of State Bureau of Consular Affairs warned Americans to avoid the Embassy area following the Monday attack. The department later asked citizens to avoid the area till Tuesday morning citing police activity.