A man armed with a knife was shot and wounded after attempting to storm the Israeli Embassy in Turkey on Wednesday morning.
The assailant, named as Osman Nuri Caliskan, attempted to storm the Israeli Embassy in Ankara, reportedly shouting “Allahu Akbar” and “I will change the Middle East”, whilst wielding a 12-inch knife.
The Israeli Foreign Ministry said the assailant was shot in the foot by a local guard after reaching the “outer perimeter” of the Embassy, and that all its Embassy employees were safe.
The perpetrator has reportedly been detained by police. Reports state that Caliskan had no apparent links to any Islamist militant groups. He appears however to have expressed anti-Israel sentiment in the past, posting on his Twitter account: “Allah damn Israel, America and Europe. Amen”.
Following the attack, the Israeli Embassy in Ankara released a statement saying it “would like to take the opportunity to thank the Turkish police for its professional performance”, and it added “the Embassy trusts the Turkish forces to control and investigate the incident”.
This incident follows a period of heightened tensions for embassies in Ankara, with the British Embassy closing on Friday, and the German Embassy only offered limited service.
The two states recently signed a reconciliation agreement to normalise relations, putting an end to a six-year rift. Diplomatic ties between Israel and Turkey were severed in 2010, following the Mavi Marmara flotilla incident.
