The U.S. Embassy in Turkey issued a security warning two days before a bomb-laden car exploded in central Ankara at around 6:35 pm Sunday night, sending flames shooting so high the smoke could be seen from 2.5 kilometers away.
The American Embassy had warned about a potential plot to attack Turkish government buildings and housing in an Ankara neighborhood, according to international media.
The embassy warned U.S. citizens to avoid those areas, according to the report.
At least 27 people were killed and 75 others were wounded after a car packed with explosives detonated between two passenger buses in Ankara’s Kizilay Square, a central transportation, commercial and entertainment center. Numerous vehicles were ignited and burst into flames at the scene. Several buses also were partly burned or completely incinerated.
The area was quickly evacuated as a precaution against a second attack, according to the Turkish Hurriyet Daily News site. Wounded victims were rushed to 10 different hospitals across the city, according to CNN Türk.
No organization has publicly taken responsibility for the attack.
However, Turkish officials said initial findings suggest the Kurdistan Workers’ Party terrorist organization (PKK) or a PKK-affiliated terrorist organization carried out the attack.