The US State Department has ordered the families of its consulate staff in Istanbul to leave the country. Now, Turks fear for the worst.

In an Oct. 29 order, the US government cited the increasing possibility of terror attacks against US citizens in Istanbul. The State Department has frequently issued short-term travel alerts to its citizens in Turkey in the past two years, but those typically involved visits to southeast Turkey and near the Syrian border. The new order applies specifically to diplomatic families in Istanbul.

The order noted that the consulate will remain open and fully functional. It did not apply to other posts, although the US Consulate in Adana province issued a warning Nov. 4 that terror organizations in the city might target US citizens and warned them to be vigilant.

The pro-government media reported the news of the Istanbul consulate warning briefly and calmly. Members of the Turkish public, however — particularly middle- and upper-middle-class Turks — were not so calm. To gauge reactions, Al-Monitor informally surveyed groups of college-educated Istanbul residents and monitored social media sites such as Twitter and Eksi Sozluk. The responses fall into two basic categories. The first was the "sour grape" group, which expressed bitter anger over the US decision to save only its own personnel's families. The group suggested the move might be an omen to impending US-led chaos in Turkey. Some went so far as to suggest that the United States will be responsible for any terror attacks that might take place in Turkey as the consulate families are evacuated.