A group of ultranationalist Turkish protestors who were detained on Wednesday after attacking three sailors from a US warship that docked in Istanbul were freed early Thursday.
The US State Department, the Pentagon and the US Navy said they are deeply troubled by the Wednesday assault against the sailors.
Members of the Turkish Youth Union (TGB) staged a demonstration in Eminönü on Wednesday to protest the docking of the US Navy’s Arleigh Burke-class destroyer USS Ross in Istanbul for four days after a NATO drill in the Black Sea. The TGB members tried to cover the heads of the three sailors with sacks, in an act reminiscent of a 2003 incident in which Turkish soldiers were captured by US forces in Iraq and had hoods put over their heads, Today’s Zaman reported.
The detained TGB members were sent to the Çağlayan Courthouse, where they were released without being interrogated by a prosecutor.
The TGB posted a statement on its website saying the sacks were attempted to be placed on the sailors’ heads with the aim of protesting American “imperialism” in the Middle East and other areas. “Long live oppressed nations’ war against imperialism,” the statement said.
The incident added extra strain to already tense Turkish-US relations.
