A group of radical nationalists in Turkey attacked three U.S. sailors from the USS Ross guided missile destroyer on Wednesday.
The attack occurred in Istanbul, where members of the Turkiye Genclik Birligi, or Turkish Youth Union, forced hoods on the sailors’ heads and shouted “Yankee, go home” and
“Down with U.S. imperialism,” AFP reported.
A video of the attack shows a group of men throwing things at the sailors dressed in civilian clothes. One of the attackers said: “Because we define you as murders, as killers, we want you to get out of our land.”
The sailors were not hurt, and
shore leave was canceled for the rest of the day, The Associated Press reported.
Twelve people were detained in connection with the incident. Pentagon spokesman Col. Steve Warren said the attack seemed to be an isolated incident and is unlikely to disrupt U.S.-Turkish relations, the AP said.
The U.S. Navy, U.S. Embassy staff, and Turkish authorities are investigating the incident.
The U.S. Embassy in Ankara called the attacks “appalling” in a tweet.
Twitter users were angered by the attack.
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