Members of Turkish president's security detail charged in D.C. assault
Twelve members of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's security detail have been charged after a violent clash that injured protesters outside the Turkish ambassador's home in Washington, D.C.
The charges against the nine Turkish security officers and three Turkish police officers, filed Wednesday, include simple assault and assault with significant bodily injury, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia.
Two U.S. citizens and two Canadian citizens have also been charged in the incident. Those 16 people charged this week are in addition to two other U.S. citizens charged with simple assault at the time of the incident. Their cases are pending, according to the court.
The charges were announced in a Thursday news conference with Washington's Metropolitan Police Department and D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser. Bowser condemned the attack, calling it an affront to U.S. values and an assault on the First Amendment. The MPD, State Department and U.S. Attorney's Office teamed up on the investigation.
The incident took place last month during Erdogan's visit to D.C. to meet President Trump. His security personnel allegedly attacked protesters outside of the Turkish ambassador's residence. Voice of America's Turkish service released video showing the Turkish president observing from inside a car while the Turkish security team clashed with the protesters.
The State Department and Congress have condemned the attack, but the White House, which is working to repair ties with Turkey, has remained quiet on the issue, referring reporters to a State Department statement. Some members of Congress took it upon themselves to express their condemnation of the attack.
CBS News' Paula Reid contributed to this report.
