Çavuşoğlu’s tweet (Photo: Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu Twitter)
WASHINGTON – Turkish Foreign Affairs Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu recently visited two Turkish American men charged with the infamous May 16 attack in Washington, D.C. and showed his solidarity.
Cavusoglu visited the two men during his trip to the U.S. to attend the United Nations General Assembly.
He tweeted that he visited Sinan Narin and Eyup Yildirim late Saturday and said he passed on “our nation’s love and greetings.” The men were photographed in orange jumpsuits with the minister.
The two defendants are among 19 suspects accused of attacking protestors outside the Turkish ambassador’s Washington home in May during a visit by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, which left at least nine peaceful protesters injured.
Narin and Yildirim were arrested in June and charged with multiple counts of assault. The indictment also accused 15 bodyguards, including the head of Erdogan’s security detail.
Yildirim, an owner of a construction company in New Jersey, was a very visible participant in the brawl. He was seen yelling at the protesters prior to the attacks. During the attacks, he was seen on video rushing towards a female protester who had been pushed to the ground during the blitz. Yildirim then kicked the woman, Lucy Usoyan, multiple times while she laid curled up on the ground.
Narin, a 45 year old Virginia resident, who was another active participant, also kicked Usoyan when she was on the ground.
Yildirim and Narin were arrested on June 14 by U.S. Marshals. The next day, Washington, D.C. Metro police announced charges against Yildirim and Narin, along with 14 others involved in the attacks.
Narin was charged with felony aggravated assault and misdemeanor assault or threatened assault in a menacing manner, while Yıldırım was charged with felony assault with significant bodily injury, felony aggravated assault, and misdemeanor assault or threatened assault in a menacing manner.
According to CNN Turk, Yildirim and Narin have been visited frequently by Turkish consular officials.
Two Turkish-Canadian men have also been charged, as have 15 security personnel who were protecting Erdogan.