Six Dead In Attack On US Consulate In Turkey
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Istanbul Attack Leaves Six Dead Reuters Armed men attacked a police guard post outside the U.S. consulate in Istanbul. Turkish officials called it "a terrorist attack" and said three attackers and three policemen were killed

Murad Sezer, ASSOCIATED PRESS
Wednesday, July 9, 2008

An unidentified man lies on the ground lifeless after an attack outside of the U.S. Consulate in Istanbul, Turkey, Wednesday, July 9, 2008. Armed men killed at least two policemen outside the U.S. consulate in Istanbul before fleeing in a vehicle, reports said. One attacker was reported killed. (AP Photo)

ISTANBUL, Turkey (AP) -- Armed men attacked a police guardpost outside the U.S. consulate in Istanbul on Wednesday, and the ensuing clash killed three officers and three of the assailants, officials said. At least one of the assailants opened fire at the post near the consulate's main entrance at about 11 a.m., a U.S. embassy spokeswoman said, speaking on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter. There were no reports of casualties among American consulate employees, she said. "Three policemen were martyred and three attackers were killed," Istanbul Gov. Muammer Guler told reporters at the scene. Guler said a policeman and a tow-truck driver were also injured. Authorities were trying to identify the attackers, he said. The attack occurred right outside the high-walled consulate compound in Istanbul's Istinye district. Yavuz Erkut Yuksel, a bystander, told CNN-Turk television the attackers emerged from a white vehicle and surprised a guard. "One of them approached a policeman while hiding his gun and shot him in the head," Yuksel said. Television footage showed four people lying on the ground at the foot of the consulate's wall. Medics were seen trying to help one of them. The secure U.S. consulate building was built after homegrown Islamic militants linked to al-Qaida carried out suicide bombings in 2003 that targeted two synagogues, the British Consulate and a British bank in Istanbul, killing 58 people. --- Associated Press Writers Christopher Torchia in Baghdad, Iraq, and Selcan Hacaoglu and Suzan Fraser in Ankara contributed to this report. © 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Learn more about our Privacy Policy.

Turkey suspects al-Qaida in attack on US consulate
AP - 1 hour, 36 minutes ago ISTANBUL, Turkey - Suspected al-Qaida militants armed with pistols and shotguns attacked a police guard post outside the U.S. consulate in Istanbul on Wednesday, sparking a gunbattle that left three attackers and three officers dead.

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US Consulate in Istanbul Attacked - Ellen Knickmeyer, Washington Post

Turkey bolstered security at US diplomatic installations across the country Wednesday after men armed with a pump-action shotgun and pistols shot and killed three Turkish policemen outside the US Consulate in Istanbul, officials said. Turkish police killed three gunmen in a five-minute gun battle that ensued. Turkish Interior Minister Besir Atalay said authorities were looking for a fourth man, who had driven the others to the consulate and might have been wounded as he drove away from the scene.

6 Die in Attack on US Post in Turkey - Cowell and Arsu, New York Times

A group of unidentified gunmen opened fire on Turkish security guards outside the United States Consulate in Istanbul on Wednesday, the Turkish authorities said, and at least three police officers and three assailants were killed in a brief gun battle. Officials said that a fourth assailant escaped. The late-morning attack was the first on a diplomatic mission in the city since 2003 when 62 people were killed in assaults on the British consulate, a bank and two synagogues. While the motives behind this attack were not immediately clear, Turkish officials described the gunmen as terrorists.