By Patrick J. McDonnell, Los Angeles Times, Feb. 1, 2013

BEIRUT — A suicide attacker detonated a bomb Friday outside the U.S. Embassy in Turkey killing himself and a Turkish guard but failing to damage the main embassy building or cause serious casualties among U.S. personnel, authorities said.

Turkish officials later identified the suicide bomber as a member of an outlawed far-left domestic group.  The White House labeled the incident in Ankara a terrorist attack, and U.S. officials praised Turkish authorities for their quick response. [....]

News reports in Turkey identified the attacker as Ecevit Sanli, a member of the outlawed Revolutionary People's Liberation Party/Front, which espouses an anti-U.S. and anti-capitalist agenda. The bomber's motives remained unknown.

The far-left group — considered a terrorist organization by Turkey and the United States — has been implicated in attacks going back to the 1970s, authorities said, reportedly including several involving U.S. targets.

Sanli was imprisoned in 1997 for attacking a military guest house in Istanbul with a flame thrower . [.....]