Turkey

Turkey: Kurdish Group Threatens Tourists

Date: March 7th, 2007 |

The Kurdistan Freedom Falcons (TKK), a Kurdish separatist group that claimed responsibility for several bomb attacks on tourist sites in recent years, warned European tourists to stay away and threatened to target tourists and tourist facilities again. The group’s warning cited arrests of 15 suspected Kurdish terrorists in France and Belgium in February and blames [read more]

Turkey: U.S. Consular Agency in Izmir Closed Till Feb. 5

Date: October 17th, 2006 |

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The U.S. Consular Agency in Izmir is closed until Feb. 5, 2007. Calls to the agency for emergency assistance will be automatically forwarded to the offices of American Citizen Services in Ankara, or U.S. citizens can call the U.S. Embassy’s switchboard in Ankara directly at 312 [read more]

Turkey: Two Bombings in Istanbul’s Sultanahmet

Date: August 22nd, 2006 |

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Two bombs in two days exploded in Istanbul’s Sultanahmet neighborhood, home to the Blue Mosque and Hagia Sofia. Three Turks were injured, one seriously, in the first blast, and no one was hurt in the second. Both were believed to be percussion bombs. No one has claimed responsibility for t [read more]

Turkey: Taxi Scams in Istanbul

Date: June 14th, 2006 |

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The recent news about crooked taxi drivers at New York’s JFK airport being caught fleecing non-English-speaking foreigners is certainly not news in Istanbul. Taxi drivers here have a well-developed method for cheating non-Turkish speakers. With a combination of feigned agitation, sleight-of-hand and foreigners’ lack of familiarity with local currency, the crooks toss back the money [read more]

Turkey: Clashes in Southeast, Bombing in Istanbul

Date: April 4th, 2006 |

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A week of clashes between security forces and sympathizers of the Kurdish Workers Party (PKK) in southeastern Turkey caused several deaths in Diyarbakir, a main transit point to the Turkey-Iraq border. The violence could spill over to other provinces in the southeast. The U.S. State Department restricts the travel of its personnel in these areas, [read more]

Turkey: Citizens Services at U.S. Embassy Temporarily Closed

Date: November 14th, 2006 |

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The American Citizens Services Unit at the U.S. Embassy in Ankara will be closed Nov. 23-Dec. 3 for renovation of the consular offices. In case of emergencies, consular officials will still be accessible at that time through the main Embassy telephone line at 312 [read more]

Turkey: Terrorist Bombings Target Tourist Areas

Date: August 29th, 2006 |

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Five bomb blasts in less than 24 hours killed three people and injured dozens in popular tourist areas Aug. 27-28. A Kurdish militant group calling itself the Kurdistan Freedom Falcons claimed responsibility for four of the five explosions and warned tourists to stay out of Turkey, saying that the country is not safe. The first [read more]

Turkey: Terror Campaign Coverup?

Date: July 4th, 2006 |

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An explosion at a popular restaurant at a waterfall in Manavgat June 25 was officially blamed on an exploding gas cylinder, but a press investigation revealed that security cameras caught a team of three attackers placing a bomb in a bin 20 minutes before the blast. The news raised concerns that authorities in Antalya are [read more]

Turkey: Demonstrations, Bombings, Warning to Tourists

Date: April 18th, 2006 |

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Demonstrations have taken place in Istanbul following unrest in the southeastern regions of the country, and small-scale bombings have occurred around the city, most recently on April 16 in the suburb of Bakirkoy on the European side of the city. The bombing took place in a busy street lined with cafes and restaurants. Thirty-one people [read more]

Turkey: Bombings in Istanbul

Date: February 14th, 2006 |

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Two bombs in four days exploded in Istanbul, one in a crowded supermarket and another in an internet café frequented by police. A hard-line Kurdish group called the Kurdistan Freedom Falcons Organization claimed responsibility for both bombings. One person died in the café and fifteen in the supermarket bombing. An email from the organization said [read more]