News / Foreign Policy

US Embassy in Ankara on lockdown after 'security incident'

Monday, 19 December 2016 7:26 PM [ Last Update: Tuesday, 20 December 2016 8:58 AM ]

The US Embassy in Ankara, Turkey

The United States has put its embassy in Ankara on lockdown after assassination of the Russian ambassador to Turkey at an art gallery nearby.

In a tweet on Monday, the US State Department advised all citizens to avoid the area following reports of a shooting near the embassy.

The alert came just moments after Andrey Karlov, was gunned down at the photo exhibition.

Moscow has said the assault was a "terrorist act."

The State Department described the ensuing situation at the embassy, approximately 2.5 miles away from the art gallery, as an “ongoing security incident.”

"All US citizens should avoid area near Embassy compound until further notice,” it said in a tweet.

The department also called on Americans to “avoid travel to southeast Turkey and carefully consider the risks of travel to and throughout the country.”

It is still unknown if the lockdown is related to the ambassador’s assassination.

Due to the upsurge in terrorist attacks in Turkey, Washington has been alerting citizens to avoid the country since October 29, cautioning them of “increased threats from terrorist groups throughout Turkey.”

The area where the ambassador was shot dead should specifically be avoided “at least until Tuesday morning, December 20.”

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