CNN
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A U.S. convoy was attacked in Nigeria on Tuesday, killing four people, including two U.S. consulate employees and two police officers, and kidnapping three others, according to local police and U.S. officials.
The attack took place in the southeastern Anambra state, where the Anambra police command told CNN that the attackers “killed two police personnel and two U.S. consulate employees and set their bodies and vehicles on fire.”
According to the White House and local police, the individuals killed were not U.S. citizens. “No American citizens were injured because no American citizens were involved,” said John Kirby, a member of the U.S. National Security Council. “We understand there have been some casualties, some may have died.”
When the assailants spotted security forces, “they abducted two police personnel and a driver of a second vehicle in the convoy,” said Deputy Police Commissioner Ikenga Tochukwu. “There were no American citizens in the convoy,” he added.
Police said the joint security forces “launched rescue and recovery operations in the area.”
A U.S. State Department spokesperson said Tuesday that “Nigerian mission personnel are cooperating with Nigerian security agencies in the investigation.”
They went on to say: “The security of our staff is always of the utmost importance and we take extensive precautions when planning travel to our sites,” they continued.