No casualties reported after assailants fire shots at window in a security cabin in drive-by shooting, police say.

Several gunshots were fired from a vehicle at the United States embassy in the Turkish capital, Ankara, on Monday, hitting a window in a security cabin but causing no casualties, police reported.

The attack coincided with a deepening row between Ankara and Washington over the trial of a US pastor in Turkey.

A police officer told Reuters news agency at the scene the drive-by shooting occurred around 5am (02:00 GMT) and that nobody was hurt.

The embassy was set to be closed this week for a public holiday to mark the Eid al-Adha festival.

Police teams were searching for the assailants, who fled in a white car after the attack, private news channel CNN Turk said. Four or five gunshots were heard, it reported.

Broadcaster Haberturk showed police teams inspecting one of the entrances to the embassy and apparent damage caused by a gunshot could be seen in one window.

It said empty cartridges were found at the scene.

Ties between Ankara and Washington have been strained over the case of an imprisoned US pastor Andrew Brunson, leading the US to impose sanctions and increased tariffs that sent the Turkish lira tumbling last week.

The US embassy in Ankara and the consulate in Istanbul have been the targets of attacks and have faced numerous security threats in the past.

“It [the attack] shows how the antipathy is between Ankara and Washington as the diplomatic dispute continues to rumble,” Al Jazeera’s Sonia Gallego, reporting from Istanbul, said.

“It would appear to be an attack … designed to usher a warning or demonstrate the displeasure that there is towards the United States at this moment,” she added.

SOURCE: AL JAZEERA AND NEWS AGENCIES