15 Suspects in Custody Over Attack on US Marines in Turkey

15 suspects were detained in connection with an attack on a group of US Marines on leave in Izmir, Turkey by a nationalist youth organization, CNN reports.

The Marines, assigned to the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit, were attacked on Monday by members of the Turkish Youth Union, a group known for its anti-American sentiment and previous assaults on US service members.

Video footage of the assault, confirmed by a US official, shows several individuals holding the Marines by force while a speaker shouts “Yankee, go home!” One Marine can be heard yelling “Help!” repeatedly as the crowd places a bag over the head of another Marine. The Marines were able to escape the crowd with the assistance of other Marines in the area. They were screened at a local hospital and reported no injuries.

The US Navy has confirmed that the Marines have returned to the USS Wasp, and are cooperating with investigators. The Izmir Governorship also stated that local police intervened in the incident and took 15 suspects into custody.

The Turkish Youth Union has a history of targeting US service members in Turkey. In 2021, 17 members of the group were arrested for placing a hood over the head of a US Navy civilian employee in protest of US policy in the Middle East. Similarly, in 2014, members of the organization attacked three US sailors, placing bags over their heads and chanting “Yankee, go home!”

The act of placing bags over the heads of US service members is a direct reference to the “hood incident” of 2003, when US troops detained Turkish soldiers after the invasion of Iraq.

The US and Turkey are NATO allies, but their relationship has been strained in recent years. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has openly criticized Israel’s actions in Gaza, hosted Hamas’ political leader, and blocked Sweden’s NATO accession, citing concerns over Kurdish terror groups. These tensions have cast a shadow over the two countries’ military cooperation.

The 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit, part of the USS Wasp Amphibious Ready Group, is currently operating in the eastern Mediterranean Sea amid regional tensions. The USS Wasp had arrived in Izmir the day before the incident, and the Marines were granted permission to leave the ship for a break.