The State Department summoned Turkish Ambassador Serdar Kilic following violence between Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s guards and protesters in Washington, D.C., this week.
“We can confirm that Ambassador Kilic was summoned to the State Department and met with Under Secretary [Thomas] Shannon on Wednesday,” a State official told NBC News Thursday.
State also confirmed that two members of the Turkish security team were detained after Tuesday’s incident and then released. Global law protects heads of state and their entourage from arrest.
A video emerged Thursday of Erdogan watching members of his security detail violently clash with protesters in D.C.
{mosads}The clip shows Erdogan emerging from a car to watch the melee before heading inside the Turkish ambassador’s residence. Turkish security is visible from Erdogan’s vehicle brawling with protesters.
The Turkish Embassy in Washington claimed Wednesday that Erdogan’s bodyguards were acting in “self-defense.”
Metropolitan Police Chief Peter Newsham called Tuesday’s attack on Washington’s Embassy Row “brutal.”
“That’s something we will not tolerate her in Washington, D.C,” he said. “This is a city where people should be allowed to come and peacefully protest.”
Newsham added that nine people were hospitalized following the skirmish, and two men were arrested.
Tuesday’s incident involved about two dozen demonstrators and occurred after President Trump hosted Erdogan at the White House.
Members from both parties and D.C. authorities have sharply criticized Erdogan’s guards for their role in the confrontation.