Bomb attack on British consulate

Bomb attack on British consulate

A bomb has exploded outside the British consulate in Istanbul.

A Foreign Office spokesman said the device was thrown at the building housing the visa section at 0030 local time (2130 GMT) on Wednesday.

No one was injured and only superficial damage was caused by the attack, which occurred shortly after England's 2-0 victory over Turkey in a Euro 2004 qualifier.

However, no perpetrator or reason for the attack is so far known.

The spokesman said: "The building was empty at the time.

"Police attended, the area has been cordoned off and they are investigating.

"It is too early to speculate on the motive."

There have been a series of anti-war protests in Istanbul in recent days by those opposed to the US-led war in Iraq.

British premises elsewhere in the world have been the focus of attacks since the start of the war.

On 24 March a grenade was thrown at Britain's honorary consulate in the city of Guayaquil in Ecuador in what was believed to be an anti-war protest.

On the same day, a small explosion damaged the outer wall of the British Council building in Lebanon.