Arrest of 4 Suspects and Closure of German and British Diplomatic Offices in Turkey

Germany and Britain have temporarily closed their diplomatic representative offices in Turkey due to security concerns. According to reports, four individuals suspected of being connected to threats against these offices have been detained.

The British Embassy in Turkey announced in a statement that the country’s representative office in Ankara will be closed on Friday, September 26.

Turkey has witnessed numerous terrorist operations in recent months, with responsibility for most of them claimed by the terrorist group Islamic State (formerly ISIS) and the militant wings of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK).

The British government has urged British citizens through its official website to avoid traveling to the Kurdish-majority city of Diyarbakir in southeastern Turkey and to maintain a distance of at least ten kilometers from the Turkey-Syria border zone.

Arrest of 4 Suspects

The German government announced two days ago that all of its representative offices in Turkey, including the embassy in Ankara and the consulate in Istanbul, will remain closed until further notice.

News sources cited “security concerns” as the reason for the closure of German and British representative offices in Turkey. The German Foreign Ministry had previously announced the temporary closure of the embassy and consulate in Ankara and Istanbul due to Eid al-Adha celebrations.

Officials at the ministry in Berlin stated on Wednesday, September 15, that due to Eid al-Adha celebrations in the current week, German representative offices in Turkey would have limited operations and will be closed to visitors.

On Friday, news sources in Turkey reported the arrest of four suspects in the country who were apparently linked to possible threats against the German and British embassies.

News network “Habertürk” and official news agency “Anadolu Agency” reported that so far, there has been no evidence linking the detainees to terrorist groups.

Second Closure in the Current Year

Preventive measures taken by European countries’ representative offices are said to be based on security reports of a possible attack by extremist Islamists of the Islamic State against these offices.

German publication “Bild” reported evidence of a possible terrorist attack on the German embassy and consulate in Ankara and Istanbul, but according to the publication, the accuracy of this information has not been confirmed.

According to “Bild,” German schools in Turkey may also be among possible terrorist targets, and they are currently closed due to holiday schedules.

This is the second time this calendar year that German representative offices in Turkey have been closed due to security concerns. In March, security agencies warned of the danger of attacks on the German embassy in Ankara and the country’s consulate in Istanbul based on information obtained from sources close to Islamic State terrorists.

In January of this year, twelve German tourists were killed in a suicide attack in Istanbul, which was carried out by a member of the Islamic State group.

According to plans, from the beginning of next week, if “security concerns” are resolved, the British and German embassies will resume normal operations.

Source: DW