U.S. Marshals arrest two Turks for attack on peaceful protesters

WASHINGTON, D.C. – United States Marshals arrested two Turks who attacked peaceful protesters last month in our nation’s capital, reported the Armenian Assembly of America (Assembly). The Daily Caller and the State Department did not provide the names of the men arrested, but the Washington-based Turkish news website Washington Hatti reported that one man involved in the attacks, Eyup Yıldırım, was detained in New Jersey and will go before a judge in Newark.

In a statement to The Daily Caller, the State Department confirmed that arrests have been made. “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 stated. “The Department would like to thank the Department of Justice and the investigative agencies for their diligence,” they added. “We are committed to holding those responsible for the violence on May 16 accountable. As we have previously stated, the events surrounding the conduct of Turkish Security personnel during President Erdogan’s visit to the United States is troubling.”

Last week, the U.S. House of Representatives unanimously adopted House Resolution 354 with a vote of 397-0, which condemns the violence against peaceful protesters outside the Turkish Ambassador’s residence on May 16, 2017, and calls for measures to be taken to prevent similar incidents in the future, reported the Armenian Assembly of America (Assembly). H.Res. 354 was spearheaded by House Foreign Affairs Chairman Ed Royce (R-CA), Ranking Member Eliot Engel (D-NY), Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA), and Democratic Whip Steny Hoyer (D-MD), and calls for “the perpetrators to be brought to justice.”