The US embassy in Ankara said, on Friday, that “in light of the recent incidents of burning the Qur’an in Europe, the US government is warning its citizens of possible terrorist attacks targeting places of worship in Turkey for the sake of revenge.”
She added, “Terrorists can attack without warning and target places of worship frequented by Westerners.”
The US embassy recommended its citizens to remain “vigilant, avoid gatherings and keep a low profile.”
The French embassy in Ankara also sent a similar message via e-mail to its nationals in the country, based on the American warning.
And Friday said: “Given that the risk of a terrorist attack in Turkey remains high, as stated in the security alert issued by the United States Embassy on January 27, 2023, French residents or transiting through Turkey are called upon to exercise maximum vigilance, especially in gathering places where potentially frequented by foreigners, including places of worship.”
A French diplomat told “Agence France Presse” that this statement will be published on the website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the website of the French embassy in Ankara.
Germany and Italy also sent similar warnings to their nationals.
A few days ago, the Swedish-Danish extremist Rasmus Paludan burned a Quran in front of the Turkish embassy in Stockholm in the presence of police officers, which prompted a wave of condemnations in the Islamic world.
The incident occurred as part of protests against Turkey’s blocking of Sweden and Finland’s accession to NATO.
On Friday, Paludan repeated his act by burning a copy of the Qur’an in front of a mosque in the Danish capital, and then another copy in front of the Turkish embassy.
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