US Embassy Confirms Turkey Warned It About Terrorist Threat Before Blast

The US embassy in Turkey said it learned from the Turkish authorities about a terrorist threat in Ankara before the Sunday blast and had time to warn the US citizens and Turkish employees of the embassy.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — A car bomb exploded late Sunday at a bus stop near Ankara’s central Kizilay square, killing 37 people and injuring over 120.

"Last week, the US Embassy became aware of threat information through a Turkish government warning circulating in social media. After ‎confirming the warning with Turkish authorities, Embassy issued a notice to all American citizens in Ankara — both government employees and private citizens — and to Turkish employees of the US Embassy‎, as we routinely do when we learn of Turkish government information about threats," the embassy said in a statement on Sunday. 

On Friday, the US embassy told the US citizens to avoid the Bahcelievler area of Ankara, about 3 miles from the Kizilay square, after receiving information regarding a potential terrorist plot to attack Turkish government buildings and housing located in the area.

The Sunday car bomb blast was the second terrorist attack to hit Ankara since the beginning of the year, after a military convoy was bombed in the Turkish capital in February, killing 30 people.