Global Courant 2023-05-24 04:20:33
ANKARA
The Turkish Foreign Minister said on Tuesday that finding the perpetrator of the attack on the Turkish house in New York was “just a matter of time”.
Speaking to TV100, Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu said that the attacker has not been caught yet, but that the US authorities are making great efforts to find the suspect.
“He had a hat, but his face was uncovered, a crowbar in his hand… He hit the windows and left the crowbar on the ground,” Çavuşoğlu said.
“The crowbar he used also had fingerprints on it, so it’s only a matter of time before he gets caught. We think he won’t be able to escape,” he added.
Çavuşoğlu said that the Consulate General of Turkey held a joint meeting with the New York Police Department (NYPD), the US Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service and the Permanent Representative of the US to the UN, and that intensive efforts are underway to apprehend the attacker.
Çavuşoğlu said that New York Mayor Eric Adams visited the Turkish House. He added that a police station will be set up in front of the building. He noted that NYPD vehicles would be there until the police station was established.
Stating that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is also following the developments closely, Çavuşoğlu added that they also met with the US Ambassador to Turkey, Jeff Flake, and thanked them for their close attention.
“Of course, the United States as a host country is responsible for the protection of diplomatic missions. We are also responsible for those in Turkey. The Vienna Convention is also open. “We expect this person to be caught as soon as possible,” he said.
“We demanded that not only the Turkish House, but all our missions in the USA take additional security measures. Our ambassador and our friends are following him closely,” he said.
The Turkish House, a building reserved for diplomatic missions and cultural events, was attacked early Monday.
Turkey’s Consul General in New York, Reyhan Özgür, told Anadolu Agency that the attacker broke the windows of the building at 03:14 local time.
He said no one was injured, but the 12 windows and doors of the building, which opened in 2021, were damaged.
On Monday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan urged the United States to find the “terrorist” who attacked the Turkish House and “do what is necessary”.
“The PKK (terrorist organization) in Europe saw that things were going bad (and) started attacking the voters. Probably these voters say they are in favor of the People’s Alliance. That’s why they are attacking.
“Moreover, in America, they attacked the Turkish House opposite the United Nations (building) and broke the windows. Why? You were a Democrat. What do you gain by attacking the Turkish House and breaking the windows? Windows?” said Erdogan.
“Now, are we not going to say to the American authorities and security forces, ‘You need to find this terrorist as soon as possible and take necessary action’? How would you look if a similar incident happened in Turkey?” He told an event in Istanbul.
He said that the Turkish House was entrusted to the US authorities there.
“You need to find this terrorist who broke the windows of the Turkish House with a crowbar.”
Listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the USA and the European Union, the PKK has been responsible for the deaths of more than 40,000 people, including women, children and babies, in its 35-year terror campaign against Turkey.
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