Washington Police Issue Arrest Warrants for Pro-Erdogan Turkish Security Who Beat Protesters

Back in May I reported on pro-Erdogan jihadis beating women as they savagely attacked  protestors in Washington D.C.  First Europe, and now the United States: the caliph of Turkey brought the thuggery of Islam to our nation’s capital.

Finally, a month later, arrest warrants have been issued. We must reject this savage ideology and the poison they mean to bring to the West.

Washington Police Issue Arrest Warrants for Turkish Security Officers Over Clash Unusual prosecution sets the stage for a diplomatic showdown

 By Dion Nissenbaum, Wall Street Journal, Updated June 15, 2017:

WASHINGTON—Police in the nation’s capital issued arrest warrants and wanted posters Thursday for a dozen members of the Turkish president’s security team who are accused of assaulting demonstrators protesting the visit of Recep Tayyip Erdogan to Washington last month.

The unusual prosecution of a foreign leader’s security team sets the stage for a diplomatic showdown between Turkey and the U.S., which risks alienating an unpredictable ally over the incident.

Mr. Erdogan quickly vowed to fight efforts to prosecute his bodyguards. The Turkish Foreign Ministry criticized the charges as “unacceptable.” And the ministry summoned the U.S. ambassador to its office in Ankara to express the government’s concern.

 In Washington, Metropolitan Police Chief Peter Newsham said the Turkish security officers would face charges if they return to the U.S., even if they come back to protect Mr. Erdogan.

“If they attempt to enter the United States, they will be arrested,” Mr. Newsham said, while standing between “wanted” posters with photos of the suspects.

Unless the U.S. decides to request extradition of the Turkish suspects, the security officials aren’t expected to return voluntarily to face charges, making it unlikely that they will be arrested. State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert refused Thursday to say if the U.S. would seek extradition, but left the door open for that possibility.

“This is not over,” she said.

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said in a statement that the charges “send a clear message that the United States does not tolerate individuals who use intimidation and violence to stifle freedom of speech and legitimate political expression.”

Seven of the 12 Turkish security officials are facing felony assault charges for their alleged role in beating demonstrators protesting Mr. Erdogan’s visit to Washington.

The attacks, which Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser called a “clear assault on the First Amendment,” were captured by multiple news cameras and cellphone video that the police used to identify the suspects. The footage captured men in suits with side arms, identified by police as members of Mr. Erdogan’s security detail, kicking and beating protesters in a park known as Sheridan Circle across from the Turkish ambassador’s residence.

Nine demonstrators were hospitalized. One police officer and two members of the Secret Service were also injured.

The beatings cast a pall over Mr. Erdogan’s first White House meeting with President Donald Trump and triggered a diplomatic crisis with Turkey.

The House of Representatives unanimously approved a resolution condemning the attacks. The State Department called in the Turkish ambassador to express the government’s concern about the attacks.

“Rarely have I seen in my almost 28 years of policing the type of thing that I saw in Sheridan Circle,” said Mr. Newsham, the police chief.

District of Columbia Police Chief Peter Newsham stands beside wanted posters of the Turkish president’s security team at a news conference Thursday. Photo: Alex Brandon/Associated Press

The Turkish government accused anti-Erdogan protesters of instigating the clash and said they were sympathizers of the Kurdish PKK, a militant group classified as a terrorist organization by the U.S. and Turkey.

The Foreign Ministry in the Turkish capital summoned U.S. Ambassador John Bass to protest the move. The ministry blamed the incident on the Americans’ failure to provide adequate security.

“It has been conveyed to the ambassador that this decision taken by U.S. authorities is wrong, biased and lacks legal basis,” the ministry said in a statement.

The D.C. police chief said the clash was unexpected, that his officers did the best they could, and the protesters’ beliefs were of little importance.

“In Washington, D.C., we do not care particularly what your views are, what you support or what you do not support,” Mr. Newsham said. “Our role is to make sure you can [protest] safely, especially if you are here peacefully.”

Soon after the charges were announced, Mr. Erdogan defended his bodyguards and vowed to fight any effort to prosecute his security detail.

“What kind of law is this?” Mr. Erdogan said Thursday night in Ankara. “If my bodyguards cannot protect me, then why am I bringing them to America with me?”

The Turkish president is a polarizing figure who has embarked on a widespread crackdown on domestic dissent. Turkey has detained more than 45,000 people, including opposition lawmakers, military officers, policemen, journalists and teachers accused of being linked to groups Turkey has deemed terrorist organizations.

In one of the Washington videos, a security official can be seen conferring with Mr. Erdogan as he sat in his car after arriving at the Turkish ambassador’s residence. After talking to the president, the security official speaks to another member of the team who heads down toward the demonstration right before they are attacked. The video stoked speculation that Mr. Erdogan may have ordered the assaults, but Mr. Newsham said the police had no evidence to support that suspicion.

“We don’t have any information right now to suggest that we have any probable cause to make an arrest of the president,” he said.

Police have arrested four Americans accused of taking part in the beating, and they are seeking the arrest of two Canadian citizens facing assault charges.

The decision to charge the Turkish security officials drew immediate praise from some lawmakers who have been pushing for action.

Rep. Ed Royce (R., Calif.), chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, hailed the move and urged the State Department to reject a pending $1.2 million sale of handguns and ammunition to Turkish security forces.

“The violent attacks by Turkish security forces on peaceful protesters in Washington were completely and totally unjustified,” Mr. Royce said. “Now, the State Department should double down on efforts to help bring these individuals to justice.”