ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Turkish authorities on Monday detained 15 members of an anti-American youth group who bodily assaulted two U.S. navy personnel within the metropolis of Izmir, the state-run Anadolu information company reported.
The company mentioned members of the Turkish Youth Union, which is affiliated with the Patriotic Get together — a small, nationalist political occasion with out parliament seats — had been detained on the orders of a prosecutor.
The U.S. Embassy confirmed the incident, saying service members on board the united statesWasp had been “now safe.”
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“We are troubled by this assault on U.S. service members and are appreciative that Turkish police are taking this matter seriously and holding those responsible accountable,” Nationwide Safety Council spokesman Sean Savett mentioned.
The group posted a video of the incident on social media platform X and mentioned they positioned sacks over the heads of troopers who had disembarked from the U.S. Navy amphibious assault ship USS Wasp.
IAKOVOS HATZISTAVROU through Getty Photos
The video reveals a gaggle of males yelling, “Yankee go home!” whereas restraining a person and trying to place a sack over his head.
“The U.S. soldiers who carry the blood of our soldiers and thousands of Palestinians on their hands cannot pollute our country,” the group mentioned on X.
The united statesWasp arrived in Izmir on Sunday after conducting joint coaching with Turkish assault ships within the Mediterranean.
