US dismisses charges against 7 Turkish guards

By Hakan Copur and Muhammed Bilal Kenasari

WASHINGTON (AA) – The U.S. dismissed charges against the Turkish Presidency’s seven bodyguards over a 2017 brawl in front of the Turkish embassy in Washington, a lawyer said on Thursday.

Gunay Evinch, a lawyer following the case on behalf of Turkey, told Anadolu Agency that arrest warrants for seven guards have been terminated and the case against them was dismissed at an internal meeting on Feb. 14.

On June 15, the U.S. issued arrest warrants for 16 people including Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's bodyguards allegedly linked to a brawl outside the Turkish Embassy in Washington during the Turkish president's official visit in May.

Erdogan condemned the indictment. “It is clearly a scandalous sign of how justice works in America,” he had said after the indictment was revealed.

Evinch also said that accusations against four other guards were dropped in November last year, as they were not even at the site.

Four other bodyguards are still accused of the incident, the lawyer said.