By Oren Liebermann, Gul Tuysuz and Avery Schmitz | CNN
More than a dozen members of a Turkish national youth organization have been detained in Turkey after local authorities said they assaulted two U.S. Marines.
The Marines, assigned to the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit, were at large in Izmir when the assault took place Monday afternoon, the U.S. Sixth Fleet said in a statement.
According to local authorities, the Marines were attacked by members of the Turkish Youth Union, an anti-American nationalist organization that has previously attacked American service members.
A video of the assault, confirmed by a U.S. official, shows several people forcibly holding the Marines while a speaker on the street shouts loudly. One of the Marines shouts “Help!” repeatedly, while the crowd puts a bag over the head of another Marine. The crowd then begins chanting “Yankee, go home!”
The Marines were able to get away from the crowd with the help of other Marines in the area, the Navy said. They were treated at a local hospital and were not injured. The Marines returned to the USS Wasp.
The United States and Turkey are NATO allies, but relations between the two countries have often been strained. Since the start of the Gaza war, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has been a vocal critic of Israel, accusing the country of committing genocide. In April, Erdogan hosted Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh in Istanbul. Turkey has also blocked Sweden’s NATO membership, saying it harbors Kurdish terrorist groups. Erdogan relented when the United States pushed forward plans to sell Turkey modern American fighter jets.
Izmir local police and the Navy’s Criminal Investigation Department are investigating the incident, the Navy said. No Marines have been arrested and those involved in the incident are cooperating with investigators.
“We can confirm reports that U.S. service members aboard the USS Wasp were attacked in Izmir today and are now safe,” the U.S. Embassy in Turkey said on social media. “We thank the Turkish authorities for their prompt response and ongoing investigation.”
The Izmir governorate said in a statement that local police intervened in the incident and 15 suspects were taken into custody.
This is not the first time the Turkish Youth Union has attacked U.S. service members. In 2021, Turkish authorities arrested 17 members of the group for hooding a U.S. Navy civilian, Reuters reported at the time. Their actions were aimed at protesting U.S. policy in the Middle East.
In 2014, members of the organization attacked three American sailors on leave in Istanbul, putting bags over their heads. The attackers chanted “Yankee, go home!” during the attack.
For the Turkish Youth Union, placing bags over the heads of American servicemen is a reference to an infamous incident in 2003 known as the “hood incident.” Shortly after the invasion of Iraq, American troops captured Turkish soldiers and placed bags over their heads, detaining them for 60 hours.
The 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit is part of the USS Wasp Amphibious Ready Group, which is operating in the eastern Mediterranean Sea amid fears of regional escalation. The USS Wasp had landed in Izmir the day before and the Marines were allowed to leave the ship for a break.
This story has been updated with additional information.
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