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Erdoğan urges US to find terrorist who attacked NYC Turkish House

22 May 2023 21:59 (UTC +04:00)

Türkiye wants U.S. authorities to find the terrorist who attacked the (Türkevi) Turkish House in New York City, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said Monday, APA reports citing Daily Sabah.

Speaking at a gathering with Rumelian Turks – Ottoman migrants who relocated to Anatolia after the Empire lost territory in the Balkans – in Istanbul, the president said the U.S. needs to immediately find the terrorist and hold him/her accountable for the crime.

Noting that the U.S. is responsible for the safety of the Turkish House, Erdoğan said the perpetrator must be found as soon as possible.

The Turkish House, a skyscraper housing Turkish diplomatic missions in New York, came under attack on Monday. An unknown assailant carrying an iron stick shattered the windows of the ground floor of the building, Anadolu Agency (AA) reported. The incident at 3:14 a.m. local time, was reported to the New York Police Department (NYPD). Police sealed off the entrance of the building and launched a probe.

Some media outlets reported that it was an act of terrorism and pointed out that it occurred as voting for the second round of Turkish elections commenced for Turkish expatriates. The Turkish House hosts a polling station for overseas voters.

Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu also said Türkiye expects immediate identification of the perpetrators of the attack on the Turkish House in New York, the country's dedicated building for diplomatic missions and cultural activities.

"Today, a heinous attack was carried out against #TurkishHouse in New York," Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu said on Twitter.

"We expect the U.S. to immediately identify the perpetrators & provide necessary protection to ensure the safety of our diplomatic missions," he added.

"My thoughts are with my colleagues working relentlessly abroad for Türkiye, including this election period," Çavuşoğlu said.

The Turkish House in New York was attacked overnight, in the early hours of Monday.

The incident has not impacted the voting in Türkiye's presidential election runoff for Turkish nationals in New York who are currently casting their votes at the Turkish House, Consul-General Reyhan Özgür said.