British, German embassies shuttered in Ankara

Four people were arrested Friday by Turkish police following an investigation into unspecified threats against the German and British diplomatic missions in the capital Ankara.

That's according to state-run Anadolu Agency and the private Haberturk broadcaster which said the suspects had no known links to Islamist militant groups.

The British government abruptly shut its embassy in Ankara on Friday for security reasons, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office said.

That move followed a decision by Berlin to shutter its embassy following the four-day public holiday celebrating the Eid al-Adha Muslim festival. German schools in Turkey were also closed as a precaution, the German mass-market newspaper Bild reported.

German missions in Turkey "will provide limited services until Friday" and "remain closed for any meetings," the German foreign ministry said, without offering further details.

Turkey has been repeatedly targeted in the past by Islamist militants and Kurdish insurgents.

The UK's Foreign and Commonwealth Office has advised UK nationals to stay at least 10 kilometers (6.2 miles) away from the Syrian frontier.

It has also advised against visiting Diyarbakir, the largest city in the mainly Kurdish southeast, which has seen heavy fighting between security forces and militants tied to the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK).

jar/kms (Reuters, AFP)