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takyon [soylentnews.org] writes:

http://www.cnn.com/2017/08/29/politics/turkish-embassy-indictments/index.html [cnn.com]

A DC grand jury returned indictments [turner.com] against 15 Turkish security officials and four other individuals Tuesday on charges of attacking protesters during an incident outside the Turkish ambassador's residence on May 16, 2017. The violence took place during Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's visit to the US.

CNN previously reported [cnn.com] that nine people were injured in the melee, though witness and Turkish authorities have offered conflicting accounts of who was involved and who was to blame. All defendants were also indicted with "bias crime enhancements" -- referring to hate crimes -- to the charges.

The Turkish embassy says the protesters were affiliated with the PKK (Kurdistan Workers Party), which is a designated terror group in Turkey, the US and Europe, and has been engaged in a 30-year conflict with the Turkish government. Turkey alleges the protesters "began aggressively provoking Turkish-American citizens who had peacefully assembled to greet the President." In June, DC Police Chief Peter Newsham said that "there's no indication at all that the protesters were a terrorist group."

Also at Reuters [reuters.com] and The Hill [thehill.com].

Previously: Violence at Turkish Embassy in Washington [soylentnews.org]
Erdogan Decries 'Unacceptable' US Arrest Warrants for Staff in Washington Brawl [soylentnews.org]

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