Well this is great news and I’m sure it won’t sit well at all with Sultan Erdogan, especially since one of those arrested was his cousin!
DAILY CALLER – 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, a source with knowledge of the matter tells The Daily Caller.
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.
Halil Mutlu, cousin of Recep Erdogan, and Eyup Yildirim (right). (Youtube screen grab)
Lucy Usoyan, the woman kicked and stomped by Yildirim, Narin and other Erdogan supporters, told TheDC that she went to the hospital where she was diagnosed with head trauma.
Narin, who was first identified by The New York Times last month, acknowledged to the newspaper that he kicked Usoyan. But he claimed that he thought that Usoyan was a man.
Just last week the House unanimously voted to condemn and punish the Turks involved in the brawl:
VOCATIV – Three weeks after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s visit to Washington, D.C., was marred by a brawl between protesters and the leader’s security personnel, the House of Representatives voted unanimously on Tuesday to condemn and punish the security team for its actions.
“Turkish officials blatantly suppressed the First Amendment rights of United States citizens, and multiple armed Turkish security officials beat, kicked, and choked unarmed demonstrators,” the resolution, which passed 397-0, stated. “Turkish security forces acted in an un-professional and brutal manner, reflecting poorly on President Erdogan and the Government of Turkey.”
The resolution calls for diplomatic immunity for the security officers who participated in the brawl to be waived so they can be prosecuted under American law for their alleged actions.
If you’ve forgotten about the brawl already, here’s a good video to remind you of how chaotic and brutal it was:
UPDATE:
According to the AP, DC police officials are going to charge 12 Turkish security agents:
BREAKING: US official: DC police to charge 12 Turkish security agents related to violence in Washington during Erdogan's visit.
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