Suspects held in embassy threat

ANKARA, Turkey — Turkish police detained four Islamic State suspects as part of an investigation into a possible attack on the U.S. Embassy in Ankara, the country’s state-run news agency reported on Monday.

The arrests came as the embassy was closed on Monday over an unspecified security threat.

The Anadolu Agency said police detained four Iraqi nationals. Two were detained on a bus at a security check on a highway linking the Black Sea city of Samsun to Ankara. Two others were detained in Samsun by police acting on information they provided, the report said. The agency identified the suspects only by their first names.

Security was high outside the U.S. embassy on Monday, and police searched pedestrians before allowing them to enter the street where the embassy and other buildings are located.

The U.S. embassy said on its web page late on Sunday that the mission would be closed due to a security threat, and urged U.S. citizens to avoid the location as well as large crowds. It also advised citizens to “keep a low profile.”

Embassy spokesman David Gainer said the mission would open on Tuesday but would not provide visa services or services to American citizens — in an apparent measure aimed at limiting visits and minimizing risks to the public.

Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Bekir Bozdag said the U.S. embassy had shared intelligence with Turkey’s authorities, leading to “important results.” He said the U.S. diplomatic missions in Istanbul and the southern city of Adana remained open for business.