The United States can confirm that two Turkish security officers involved in attacks on peaceful protesters in Washington, DC earlier this week were detained and released, yet a probe of the incident is ongoing, a State Department official told Sputnik.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s bodyguards attacked a group of Kurdish protesters on Tuesday outside the home of Turkey’s ambassador to the United States amid Erdogan’s visit to Washington. The crackdown left 11 people injured, 9 of whom were hospitalised.
Another State Department official said that the department was reviewing whether any individuals involved in the incidents were entitled to diplomatic immunity.
A US law enforcement official said earlier in the day that federal authorities detained the two Turkish guards in question until their diplomatic status was clarified.
"The Secret Service detained two individuals until their diplomatic status could be verified, once it was verified it became a state department matter," the law enforcement official said. "We still continue to cooperate with MPD [Metropolitan Police Department] and the state department on any request that they may have."
