By Kareem Fahim; Washington Post:
ISTANBUL — Turkey’s Foreign Ministry lodged a formal protest Monday with the U.S. ambassador to Ankara over what it said were “lapses of security” during a violent confrontation between protesters and Turkish bodyguards during President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s visit to Washington earlier this month.
The summoning of the ambassador, John Bass, sharply escalated a diplomatic rift between Turkey and the United States after the brawl, which prompted outrage in the United States, as well as calls for the prosecution of the Turkish guards and even the expulsion of Turkey’s ambassador to Washington.
American and Turkish officials have provided directly contrasting versions of how the violence unfolded. Local police said the Turkish guards savagely attacked a peaceful protest outside the Turkish ambassador’s residence as Erdogan was visiting. The melee, which was recorded by video journalists, showed what appeared to be Turkish security guards kicking and choking protesters as D.C. police struggled to contain the unrest. The footage also showed that Erdogan was watching, from a distance, as the fighting raged.
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Erdogan’s guards clash with protesters outside Turkish ambassador’s D.C. residence
By Peter Hermann and Perry Stein; Washington Post:
Tuesday’s clash involving protesters and security guards for visiting Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan prompted outrage by local and U.S. officials who accused the guards of using violence to quell what had been a peaceful demonstration in Northwest Washington.
D.C. police arrested two men, one from Virginia and one from New York, and said they are pursuing charges against additional suspects since the melee outside the Turkish ambassador’s residence at Sheridan Circle. Eleven people were injured, among them a police officer. Some were kicked and stomped, their heads bloodied.
Included in the police search are members of Erdogan’s armed protective detail, according to two people with direct knowledge of the case. Police are working with the U.S. State Department and the U.S. Secret Service to identify people seen on videos and obtain arrest warrants, even as they anticipated thorny issues involving diplomatic immunity or the special status afforded to those who guard visiting heads of state.
House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Edward R. Royce (R-Calif.) said “agents of foreign governments should never be immune from prosecution for felonious behavior.” In a letter to Attorney General Jeff Sessions, he urged a quick inquiry and the filing of “appropriate criminal charges” before the security officers leave the country.
In a statement, the State Department said “violence is never an appropriate response to free speech.” It added that the United States is “communicating our concern with the Turkish government in the strongest possible terms.”
D.C. Police Chief Peter Newsham, whose department is leading the investigation, decried the violence. Mayor Muriel E. Bowser (D) said “police are working very hard with our partners to see if we can get to the bottom of this,” adding that “it was a pretty savage beating.” And Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) added: “This is the United States of America. We do not do this here. There is no excuse for this kind of thuggish behavior.”
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