The Turkish government is accusing U.S. security personnel of taking “aggressive and unprofessional actions” against bodyguards working for Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan who attacked a group of peaceful protesters in Washington, D.C. on Tuesday.
According to the Association Press, the Turkish foreign ministry said that it gave the U.S. ambassador to Turkey, John Bass, a “written and verbal” protest regarding the incident.
The American officers behaved “contrary to diplomatic rules and practices,” the foreign ministry claims.
The summons for Bass is in apparent retaliation for the harsh rebuke from American lawmakers over the attacks, which left 11 people injured, one seriously.
Video footage of the melee appears to show Erdogan ordering his goons to attack a small group of Kurdish protesters gathered across the street from the Turkish embassy.
An audio analysis of the footage conducted for The Daily Caller shows some of Erdogan’s henchmen yelling “he says attack!” or “he says dive in!” — an apparent reference to orders communicated by Erdogan.
Footage from the brawl also showed Turkey’s ambassador, Serdar Kilic, confronting police working at the scene.
“You cannot touch us!” he was spotted yelling at police officers.
The Turkish foreign ministry is asking U.S. authorities to conduct “a full investigation of this diplomatic incident.”
The State Department summoned Kilic on Thursday over the attacks by Erdogan’s goons. The agency condemned the NATO nation “in the harshest possible terms.” (RELATED: Audio Analysis: Erdogan Goons Were Ordered To ‘Attack’ Peaceful Protesters)
Some U.S. lawmakers, including Arizona Sen. John McCain, blasted the Turkish government. McCain called on the U.S. to throw Kilic “the hell out” of the U.S.
But Kilic remains in the U.S.
He is attending the 36th Annual Conference on U.S.-Turkish Relations, hosted at Trump International Hotel in Washington, D.C.
According to a schedule of the conference, Kilic will speak at a luncheon along with Amb. Thomas Shannon, the under secretary of state for political affairs.
