Knife attacker shot near Israeli embassy in Ankara

Turkey’s NTV said the attacker tried to enter the well-defended embassy but was shot in the leg and “neutralised”. Employees of the embassy took refuge in a shelter, it added.

Israel’s foreign ministry said the assailant tried to attack the Israeli embassy but was shot before reaching the building. “The team members are unharmed. The assailant was injured before he reached the building,” a ministry statement said. 

However, the attacker health condition was not made clear. Besides, it was not clarified if he was shot by 

Turkish security forces or embassy guards.

A large number of police vehicles was dispatched to the scene and the road, where the building is located, was closed. Witnesses said they heard several shots fired.

CNN-Turk television said a suspicious package was also being investigated in front of the embassy.

The attack comes three months after Turkey and Israel signed a deal to restore their ties, which hit an all-time low after the 2010 raid by Israeli commandos on a Gaza-bound Turkish aid ship that left 10 Turks dead. 

As per the deal, Turkey and Israel are to begin the process of exchanging ambassadors to fully restore their diplomatic ties, although this has yet to formally take place.  Despite the crisis, the Israeli embassy in Ankara and consulate in Istanbul have carried on working in the last years, under heavy security.