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.
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.
"In Europe, the (terrorist group) PKK has seen that things are getting worse, (and) they have started to attack the voters. They probably say that these voters are in favor of the People's Alliance. That's why they attack them."
"What is more, they have attacked the Turkish House in America, just across from the United Nations (building) in the U.S., and broke the windows. Why? You were democrat. What do you gain by attacking the Turkish House, breaking its windows?" said Erdoğan.
"Now, aren't we going to tell the American authorities and security forces, 'You need to find this terrorist quickly, and you need to do what is necessary.' I wonder if a similar incident happened in Türkiye, how would you look at it?" he added.
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 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.