US thanks Turkey for investigating terror plots

WASHINGTON – Anadolu Agency

The U.S. State Department thanked the Turkish government and security forces on March 6 for investigating terror plots targeting the U.S. Embassy in Ankara.

State Department Spokesperson Heather Nauert told reporters at a press briefing that the embassy was closed for two days due to a security threat and would reopen on March 7.

“I just want to make sure that we thank the government of Turkey, the police and also the security services for facilitating this investigation,” Nauert said.

Responding to a question on the detaining of suspects during the investigation process, Nauert said: “If it helps thwart something that could have happened, we would certainly thank them for that.”

On March 5, Turkish police foiled a planned Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) terror act against the U.S. Embassy in Ankara, detaining suspects in the capital city Ankara and in the Black Sea province of Samsun.

In 2015 and 2016, several terror attacks were carried out in the Turkish capital by the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) and ISIL that claimed many lives and injured many others.

There were no terror attacks in the capital last year.