The U.S. Embassy in Turkey received “credible reports” of potential terrorist attacks and kidnappings, including those against U.S. citizens, in Istanbul, according to a statement Friday morning.
“The U.S. Mission in Turkey has received credible reports of potential terrorist attacks and kidnappings against U.S. citizens and foreign nationals in Istanbul, including against the U.S. Consulate General, as well as potentially other locations in Turkey,” the statement read. “U.S. citizens are advised to exercise heightened caution in locations where Americans or foreigners may gather, including large office buildings or shopping malls.”
The statement said to “exercise caution” and to “avoid crowds.”
Between 2015 and 2017, several terrorist attacks were attributed to the Islamic State, including a bombing in Ankara that killed 102 people, according to the Associated Press. In July, Turkey detained 27 people whom it believed were connected to ISIS. There were also attacks from an outlawed Kurdish militant group and a far-left group that previously targeted the U.S. Embassy in Ankara.
A spokesperson for the State Department told the Washington Examiner that the mission issued the notice “as a result of our ongoing assessment of security conditions. The statement speaks for itself,” adding: “We are grateful for the support of the Turkish government in ensuring the safety of Americans living in Turkey as well as Turkish citizens who visit our Embassy and Consulates.”
“U.S. embassies and consulates abroad issue Alerts as needed to notify U.S. citizens of specific events and changes happening locally, in real time,” the spokesperson added. “The information used to formulate Alerts is collected from a range of sources, such as crime statistics and other publicly-available information, information gathered from U.S. government sources, as well as assessments by our embassies and consulates.”
“Alerts also take into account decisions made to protect the security of U.S. government personnel overseas and ensure that U.S. citizens receive appropriate security information. Alerts represent our commitment to protect U.S. citizens traveling and residing abroad by providing them important safety and security information,” the spokesperson concluded.
