Turkey’s president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has furiously condemned the US decision to issue arrest warrants to 12 members of his security detail because of their involvement in a bloody brawl with peaceful protesters in Washington DC last month.
Erdoğan stressed that his government would “fight politically and judicially” against the warrants.
"They have issued arrest warrants for 12 of my bodyguards. What kind of law is this? If my bodyguards cannot protect me then why am I bringing them to America with me?” Turkish President noted.
The president accused the demonstrators of being affiliated with a terrorist group, a charge they deny. He said they got too close to the residence and to him. “And the American police are not doing anything,” Erdogan said. “They are not touching them. Could you imagine what the attitude would be if something similar happened in Turkey?”
The brawl, in which nine protesters were injured, prompted strong reactions in both Turkey and the US, where senior US officials demanded a firm response to the violence, the Guardian reported.
Washington DC’s Metropolitan police chief, Peter Newsham, announced that arrest warrants were being issued for the 12 Turkish nationals, as well as two Americans and two Canadians.
