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Shots Fired Near U.S. Consulate in Istanbul, Turkey

At least one assailant opened fire near the U.S. Consulate in Istanbul early Monday, sparking a gunfight with police, witnesses and local media said.
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ISTANBUL, Turkey — At least one assailant opened fire near the U.S. Consulate in Istanbul early Monday, sparking a gunfight with police, witnesses and local media said.

A female suspect was detained but a male fled, police sources told NBC News.

Image: Streets near the U.S. Consulate were sealed off Monday
Streets near the U.S. Consulate in Istanbul, Turkey, were sealed off Monday.Richard Engel / NBC News

Roads around the building, which is located in the Sariyer district, were sealed off by armed police.

Dramatic cellphone video taken by a witness showed an exchange of gunfire with police.

A passerby who was on his way to work at about 7 a.m. (1 a.m. ET) told NBC News he heard guards shouting at a woman who was carrying a bag and a pistol and was running down the street. She ran to a nearby building and was shot by security services, the witness added.

It came hours after the U.S. military announced that a detachment of six F-16 fighter jets have arrived at Turkey's southern Incirlik Air Base to join the fight against ISIS militants.

A spokesman for the U.S. Consulate said there had been "an incident," adding: "We are working with Turkish authorities to investigate the incident." He said the diplomatic site would remain closed "until further notice."

Separately, an explosion at a police station in the Istanbul neighborhood of Sultanbeyli killed three people and injured at least 10, Dogan reported.

Image: Bomb attack on police station in Istanbul
A bomb blast near a police station in Istanbul, Turkey, early Monday.STR / EPA