U.S. says shooting outside its embassy in Ankara, mission shut

PanARMENIAN.Net - Hours after the Russian ambassador to Turkey was assassinated in Ankara, a gunman fired his weapon outside the nearby U.S. embassy, The Washington Times reports.

According to the Daily Sabah newspaper, which posted video of the incident, the unidentified man was arrested after firing shots into the air and shouting a warning at the U.S.

“I swear to God, do not play with us,” the man yelled in Turkish.

The U.S. embassy was placed on lockdown, but officials lifted the order after the arrest. There was no indication anyone was hurt.

“U.S. Embassy Ankara advises U.S. citizens that the immediate security incident … is over, but police activity continues,” the embassy wrote in a statement that went on to advise in boldface: “we recommend you avoid the area at least until Tuesday, December 20 morning.”

Russian envoy Andrei Karlov, 62, had been shot dead by an off-duty Turkish policeman who yelled “Allahu akbar!” over the ambassador’s body earlier Monday in the same section of Ankara as the U.S. and Russian embassies.