Last week, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's armed bodyguards beat up peaceful protesters outside the Turkish ambassador's residence in Washington, D.C., apparently at Erdogan's direction. The State Department has since expressed its "concern to the Turkish government in the strongest possible terms" and on Thursday called in Turkish Ambassador Serdar Kiliç to meet with U.S. Under Secretary of State Thomas Shannon about the incident.
Now Turkey is responding — by accusing United States personnel of "aggressive and unprofessional actions" against the bodyguards, The Associated Press reports.
The Turkish Foreign Ministry said it gave the U.S. ambassador to Turkey, John Bass, a "written and verbal protest" of actions that are "contrary to diplomatic rules and practices" and demanded a "full investigation of this diplomatic incident." Bass was appointed by former President Barack Obama in 2014.
Eleven people were injured in the scuffle, including an American police officer and two Secret Service agents. On the other side, "Washington police said they arrested two people who live in the D.C. area — presumably protesters or pro-Erdogan demonstrators — but Erdogan's traveling security team enjoys diplomatic immunity, which means none will be held accountable for clearly criminal acts," the Los Angeles Times writes.