United States Marines opened fire on demonstrators during the storming of the Karachi consulate over the weekend, two US officials said on Monday, a rare use of force at a diplomatic post that could sharply escalate tensions in the country amid widespread protests over the assassination of Iran’s leader.
On Sunday, 11 people were killed when protesters breached the compound’s outer wall after Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was assassinated in strikes on Iran.
Citing initial information, the two US officials said it was unclear whether rounds fired by Marines struck or killed anyone. They also did not know whether shots were also fired by others protecting the mission, including private security guards and local police.
This would mark the first confirmation by US officials that Marines were involved in firing at the protestors.
A Sindh government spokesman, Sukhdev Assardas Hemnani, said “security” personnel had opened fire, without specifying their affiliation.
Daily security operations at US diplomatic missions are often carried out by private contractors and local forces, and the involvement of Marines in the incident underscores how seriously the consulate viewed the threat.
Protesters on Sunday chanted “Death to America! Death to Israel!” outside the consulate, where Reuters reporters heard gunfire and saw tear gas fired in surrounding streets.
A video on social media appeared to show at least one protester firing a weapon toward the consulate and bloodied demonstrators fleeing as shots rang out.
A Karachi police official told Reuters that the shots were fired from inside the consulate premises.
The US Marines referred questions to the US military, which in turn referred questions to the State Department. The State Department did not respond to a request for comment.
Vic Mellor, a Republican candidate for Rhode Island, said on X that “armed rioters tried to storm our US Consulate in Karachi, Pakistan”.
“They breached the perimeter. They set fires. They thought this was 1979. It’s not,” Mellor, a US Marine veteran, added.
“United States Marines met them at the door — and sent a message the entire world just heard: The days of America not defending itself are OVER,” he wrote.
