SIX gunshots were fired at the United States embassy in Turkey as tensions between the two countries over a detained pastor continued to escalate.
Three bullets hit the iron gate and window wall after being fired from a vehicle, but caused no injuries inside or outside the building and the shooter was still at large.
According to Dailymail, a bullet mark was clearly visible on the window of a security booth at the embassy, but didn’t appear to have penetrated the thick glass.
US embassy spokesman David Gainer would only confirm that a ‘security incident’ took place.
‘We have no reports of any injuries and we are investigating the details. We thank the Turkish National Police for their rapid response,’ he said.
Omer Celik, spokesman for the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), called the incident an ‘open provocation’ and a clear attempt to ‘create chaos’.
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The shooting comes as Ankara and Washington were locked in a bitter dispute over Turkey’s detention of an American pastor on terror-related charges.
US President Donald Trump doubled the tariffs on aluminium and steel tariffs from Turkey, prompting Ankara to sharply hike tariffs on several American products.
Turkey on Friday threatened to respond in kind if Washington imposed further sanctions, and a court last week rejected another appeal to free pastor Andrew Brunson.
The diplomatic stand-off sent the Turkish currency into free fall against dollar, with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan vowing to emerge victorious out of the crisis.
President Erdogan remained defiant ahead of the Muslim feast of Eid al-Adha with another characteristically fiery statement.
‘The attack aimed at our economy has no difference from an attack aimed at our call to prayer or flag,’ he said.
The president said those who believe they will bring Turkey to its knees through the foreign currency exchange rate ‘will soon see they are mistaken.’
President Erdogan even called for a boycott of American goods such as iPhones, saying Turks would use Samsung handsets instead.
‘We will boycott US electronic goods,’ Erdogan said in a televised speech last week, raising the stakes in a spat that has seen the Turkish lira plunge to record lows.
He appeared to have the support of many Turks who took his words to heart and dramatically smashed their iPhones and posted the footage online.
Another video showed a young boy pouring Coca-Cola down the toilet in protest at American sanctions.
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