Several western countries including France, Germany and the United States on Friday urged their nationals in Turkey to show “vigilance” in the face of the threat of attacks in retaliation for the copies of the Koran found in Sweden and Denmark during the anti-Turkish war protests were burned protests.
“In light of the recent cases of Koran burnings in Europe, the US government is warning its citizens of possible terrorist attacks on places of worship in retaliation in Turkey,” the US Embassy in Ankara said. “Terrorists could attack without warning and attack places of worship frequented by Westerners,” she said.
“Exercise the utmost vigilance”
At the same time, the French Mission in Ankara sent a similar message to its nationals present in the country via email and through its website, citing the United States’ warning. “As the risk of a terrorist attack in Turkey remains high, as recalled in the US Embassy security alert dated January 27, 2023, French people staying in or transiting through Turkey are urged to exercise maximum vigilance, particularly places of gathering are likely to be visited by foreigners, including places of worship,” she said.
Germany and Italy have also warned their nationals.
NATO membership at stake
Several demonstrations took place in Stockholm last week and in Copenhagen on Friday, during which copies of the Koran, Muslims’ holy book, were burned by an extremist who claimed to be protesting Turkey’s veto on Sweden’s entry into NATO.
Since May, Ankara has blocked the expansion of the Atlantic Alliance to that country and Finland, and has asked Stockholm to extradite Kurdish refugees it considers “terrorists”.
These incidents have been denounced and condemned by the governments concerned and by Western capitals, particularly Washington. However, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has warned that Sweden can no longer count on Turkey’s “support” for joining NATO and negotiations are officially suspended.