French missions in Turkey closed as National Day events canceled over security fears

The French Embassy in Ankara and the French
consulate in Istanbul will be closed until further notice after the
country’s diplomatic missions in Turkey have cancelled their planned
events to mark France’s National Day due to security concerns.

“Information
points to a serious threat against plans for the celebration of the
July 14 national holiday in Turkey. As a precaution, we have decided, in
conjunction with the Turkish authorities, to cancel the celebrations,” a
statement from the mission in Istanbul said.

The consulate general had been due to hold a reception on the evening of July 13, while French missions in the capital Ankara and the Aegean coastal city of İzmir had planned events for the following day.

Turkey
has recently been facing security threats, including from militants of
the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), which was blamed for an
attack on an Istanbul airport last month which killed 45 people and
wounded hundreds.