Turkey detains 15 members of anti-American youth group for assaulting 2 US servicemen

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Turkish authorities on Monday detained 15 members of an anti-American youth organization who physically assaulted two U.S. military personnel in the city of Izmir, the state-run Anadolu news agency reported.

The agency said members of the Turkish Youth Union, which is affiliated with the Patriotic Party — a small, nationalist political party without parliament seats — were detained on the orders of a prosecutor.

The U.S. Embassy confirmed the incident, saying service members on board the USS Wasp were “now safe.”

“We are troubled by this assault on U.S. service members and are appreciative that Turkish police are taking this matter seriously and holding those responsible accountable,” National Security Council spokesman Sean Savett said.

https://apnews.com/article/turkey-american-youth-military-izmir-assault-1f5a6006340e6623508fb498a2890cc8