Nine people have been injured and a further two arrested on Tuesday at a protest outside the Turkish ambassador’s residence in Washington D.C., NBC’s Washington bureau has reported.
The injuries were said to have resulted from a scuffle on Tuesday afternoon which took place on the 1600 block of 23rd Street NW, about a half-mile from the well-known Dupont Circle area.
Some streets in the area have also been closed down, said NBC Washington, citing authorities and noting that the protest happened on the same day that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had met with President Donald Trump at the White House. Erdogan was reportedly inside the ambassador’s residence at the time of the incident.
Two people were reportedly taken to hospital suffering from serious injuries, according to a local fire department representative, quoted by NBC Washington.
The clashes were reported to have been between Erdogan supporters and critics of the Turkish president. Some media reports, citing eye witnesses, claimed that Erdogan’s protection officers were drawn into the brawl. This could not be independently verified by CNBC and the Metropolitan Police Department didn’t elaborate on the circumstances when contacted by NBC Washington.
Source: CNBC