Several Western countries, including Spain, warned their citizens residing in Turkey on Wednesday, February 1, 2023, of the high risk of an attack in Istanbul, in relation to the burning of copies of the Koran in some European countries by far-right groups.” line of prudence and security with the main EU countries in the face of suspicions of terrorist threats, the Consulate General of Spain in Istanbul and the Cervantes Institute have been closed to the public for this week,” reported the Spanish embassy in Ankara.
“In Ankara everything continues as normal at the Embassy and consular section which remain open to the public”, adds the message sent to Spanish citizens registered in Turkey. The German consulate in Istanbul announced this morning that it will close today “due to security issues”, following the measure already taken by those in the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. According to the official Turkish news agency Anadolu, the local police have raised their measures security around the German consulate in Istanbul.
High-Risk Terrorist Advisory
The embassies of the United States, France, Germany, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom issued a high-risk terrorist advisory four days ago for Turkey, especially in Istanbul, asking its citizens to stay away from crowded places, including religious ones, and that they be prudent.
The United States was the first country to issue an alert saying that “following the recent Koran burnings in Europe, the US government is warning its citizens about possible retaliatory attacks by terrorists against places of worship in Turkey.” In recent days, groups Right-wing extremists in countries such as Sweden, Denmark and the Netherlands have publicly burned or vandalized copies of the Koran, the Muslim holy book.
The Armenian community has also warned its members of the arrival in Turkey of terrorists from the jihadist group Islamic State, and has recommended canceling the acts of religious congregations for three months, as well as “taking precautions”
This article is originally published on expreso.ec