US Mission to Turkey Suspends Visa Services for Security Reasons

US Mission to Turkey Suspends Visa Services for Security Reasons
An armoured Turkish police vehicle is parked near the U.S. Embassy in Ankara, Turkey on Dec. 20, 2016. REUTERS/Umit Bektas
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ANKARA—The U.S. mission in Turkey and subsequently Turkish mission in Washington mutually reduced visa services after a U.S. mission employee was detained in Turkey last week, saying they needed to reassess each other’s commitment to the security of their personnel.

Last week, a U.S. consulate employee in Istanbul was arrested on charges of links to a cleric blamed for last year’s failed coup, a move condemned by Washington as baseless and damaging to ties between the NATO allies.