Protesters Storm U.S. Embassy in Serbia and Set Fire Over Kosovo Independence

[TheSarge]

DEVELOPING STORY ...

Rioters stormed the U.S. embassy in Belgrade, Serbia, on Thursday and started a fire in protest of Kosovo's declaration of independence earlier this week.

Masked attackers broke into the building, which has been closed this week, and tried to throw furniture from an office. A blaze broke out inside one of the offices. The neighboring Croatian Embassy also was attacked by the same group.

Crowds outside cheered and chanted, egging the demonstrators on as they stormed the embassy, which was closed at the time and had no police guarding it, Reuters reported.

Riot police drove armored jeeps down the street and fired tear gas to clear the crowd.

U.S. State Department spokesman Sean McCormack on Thursday urged the Serbian government to protect the U.S. Embassy. He said the U.S. ambassador was at his home and was in contact with U.S. officials.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,331695,00.html

[Randy]

What ever happened to Embassy's being sovereign territory and attacking one was considered an act of war?

[TheSarge]

What ever happened to Embassy's being sovereign territory and attacking one was considered an act of war?

My thought exactly.  Where the  were the Marines that are supposed to be guarding the gates?

[DumbAss Tanker]

What ever happened to Embassy's being sovereign territory and attacking one was considered an act of war?

It's the common belief, but it's not literally true.  Foreign embassies on US soil are still on US soil, we just give up jurisdiction to enter them...a little bit like US States ceding jurisdiction over certain places (like some but not all military installations) to "Exclusive maritime and territorial jurisdiction of the United States" (the Feds) but not exactly like that either.  It's legally pretty complicated.

I can see why the Serbs aren't exactly apeshit thrilled with us after some of the shenanigans and propaganda that led to the Kosovo War were unmasked, though it's not like they had clean hands by any means either.