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Six killed in gunfight outside US consulate in Istanbul - 3rd Update

by : DPA

Date : Wed, 09 Jul 2008 11:45:02 GMT





Ankara - Three police officers and three unidentified gunmen were killed in a firefight Wednesday morning outside the main gate of the US Consulate in Istanbul, the private NTV television station reported. Witnesses told NTV that a car slowed down and stopped outside the main gate of the consulate in the suburb of Istinye. Three of the passengers got out of the car and fired at police starting a firefight that lasted between seven and eight minutes.

Istanbul Governor Muammer Guler told reporters at the scene that three attackers and one police officer were declared dead at the scene and that two police officers were later pronounced dead at a local hospital.

Guler said that two police officers were wounded in the attack and were being treated for non life-threatening injuries at a local hospital.

The driver of the car reportedly fled the scene sparking a large- scale police search.

Istanbul Chief Prosecutor Aykut Cengiz Engin touring the scene said that the attackers armed with handguns and pump-action shotguns were aged between 25 and 30 and that investigators were seeking to find whether the gunmen had any links to any known terrorist groups.

"We are treating this as a terrorist attack, " Engin said at the scene.

US ambassador to Turkey Ross Wilson told reporters in Ankara that all US personnel at the consulate were safe and accounted and expressed his country 's sadness for the loss of Turkish lives.

He said the embassy had not received any threats in recent days and that U.S. security officials were cooperating with Turkish police to solve what he described as a "dastardly and cowardly act ".

"It is inappropriate now to speculate who was responsible for this or what why they carried out this action. It is an obvious act of terrorism. Our countries will stand together to confront this as we have confronted similar problems in the past, " Wilson said.

Wilson also said that he had asked for extra security at US consulates and at the embassy in Ankara.



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