According to the local media reports, the gunman reportedly targeted the security guard cabin at the US embassy. Local authorities were reportedly alerted about the shooting from the passing vehicle and they are on the lookout for the suspect.
At least four gunshots were reportedly fired in front of Gate 6 of the US embassy, hitting a window in a security post but causing no casualties, CNN Turk reported. According to the Turkish Anadolu Agency, one person has been detained in relations to the shooting.
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Following the incident, the city governor's office said in a statement that the authorities had launched an investigation into the attack.
"Today, at 5:30 a.m. (02:30 GMT), six shots were fired from a white car driving along Ataturk Boulevard toward the US Embassy. Three shots hit the metallic door and the window of the security's facility. There are no casualties. An investigation into the incident is underway," the statement read.
At the same time, according to the Erdogan's spokesman, the attack on the embassy is a clear attempt to create chaos.
As bilateral ties worsened, the United States froze the assets of two Turkish ministers over their alleged role in Brunson's imprisonment and other human rights abuses in the country. Washington also doubled tariffs on imported Turkish steel and aluminum, which resulted in the Turkish lira falling to a historic low.
