The two men accused of firing shots at the U.S. Embassy in Ankara, Turkey, reportedly confessed to being under the influence of alcohol and angry at President Donald Trump’s recent remarks about Turkey.
Shots were fired from a white car in a drive-by shooting on Monday at the security booth outside Gate 6, resulting in no injuries.
According to Turkish Minute, the two suspects, Ahmet Çelikten and Osman Gündaş, have criminal backgrounds and decided to shoot at the embassy after getting angered during a conversation.
“We were driving around the city in Osman’s car and drinking. We were talking about the Turkish lira, Trump’s threats and remarks. Under the effect of the alcohol, we got angry and decided to act,” Çelikten said.
“While we were passing by the embassy building, I decided to shoot in that direction. Nobody directed, ordered or instigated it,” he added.
The attack comes amid increased tensions between the two countries over the U.S. applying pressure to Turkey to free North Carolina Christian Pastor Andrew Brunson, who Turkey claims supported Kurdish militants and assisted in the 2016 coup against Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The dispute has resulted in the U.S. applying sanctions to Turkey’s steel and aluminum imports, and Turkey boycotting U.S. electronic goods.
The U.S refused a deal to release the pastor in exchange for the U.S. dropping an investigation on Hallbank, one of the largest state-owned Turkish banks that allegedly violated U.S sanctions on Iran, reports CNBC.