U.S. Marshals have arrested two Turkish men living in U.S. for their role in beating peaceful protesters outside of the Turkish embassy in Washington, D.C. last month, The Daily Caller reports.
The State Department confirmed in a statement to TheDC that arrests have been, and the Washington, D.C. Metro police department identified the two men as Eyup Yildirim and Sinan Narin.
“Now that charges have been filed, the Department will weigh additional actions for the named individuals, as appropriate under relevant laws and regulations. Any further steps will be responsive and proportional to the charges,” a State Department official said.
Yildirim, a 50-year-old construction company owner from New Jersey, faces charges of assault with significant bodily injury and aggravated assault. Narin, from Virginia, faces an aggravated assault charge.
A group of peaceful demonstrators protesting Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s official visit to the United States, were attacked by pro-Erdogan groups and members of his security detail at the Sheridan Circle near the residence of the Turkish Ambassador to the U.S. on May 16.
Erdogan watched the attack unfold from his black Mercedes-Benz, which was parked outside of the embassy. Video recordings show that he may even have ordered his bodyguards and supporters like Yildirim to launch the assault on the protesters.
An audio analysis of recordings of the blitz also revealed that voices can be heard shouting phrases like “Servet says dive in,” or “Servet says attack.”
The Daily Caller also identified Servet Erkan as one of the Erdogan bodyguards who took part in the violence. Another member of Erdogan’s security detail who was seen choking a female protester was identified as Ismail Dalkiran.
