A security guard has been killed after a suicide bomber blew himself up outside the US embassy in the Turkish capital, Ankara, the provincial governor says.

"There were two dead in the suicide bombing, a Turkish security guard and the bomber himself," Alaattin Yuksel told reporters, adding that a woman was also wounded in Friday's blast in the Cankaya neighbourhood.

The US ambassador to Turkey confirmed that one of the embassy's Turkish staff was killed.

"We are very grateful to the Turkish state and the police for the very prompt response," Ambassador Francis Ricciardone said. "We are very sad of course that we lost one of our Turkish guards at the gate."  

Smoke rose from a side entrance to the embassy after the doorway was damaged and debris sent flying into the street. The bomb appeared to have exploded near a security checkpoint at the entrance of the visa section of the embassy.

"It was a huge explosion. I was sitting in my shop when it happened. I saw what looked like a body part on the ground,"
said travel agent Kamiyar Barnos whose shop window was shattered around 100 metres away from the blast.

Television footage showed a door blown out and masonry from the wall around it scattered in front of the entrance, although there did not appear to be any more significant structural damage. The explosion was heard more than a kilometre away, reported Al Jazeera's Gonca Senay from the scene.

Police cordoned off the street where many other state institutions and embassies, including those of Germany and France, are also located. A police helicopter hovered in the air and armed US Marines patrolled the embassy roof following the attack.

Victoria Nuland, a US state department spokesperson, said that investigations were underway to find those responsible.

http://www.aljazeera.com/news/europe/2013/02/20132111254777386.html

-- Modified on 2/1/2013 11:03:33 AM

...my "who gives a shit?" folder.

not Al Queda.  We shall see.