(Guardian) -- Nine people were hurt and two arrests were made during an altercation at the Turkish ambassador’s residence in the US capital during a visit by prime minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, police have said.
Doug Buchanan, a DC Fire and EMS spokesman, said two of those hurt were seriously injured and were taken to hospitals by ambulance. He said by phone that emergency personnel were called to the residence about 4:30pm Tuesday.
According to witnesses, the brawl erupted when the Turkish president’s security detail attacked protesters carrying the flag of the Kurdish PYD party outside the residence.
A local NBC television affiliate reported Erdogan was inside the building at the time.
Metropolitan Police Department spokesman Dustin Sternbeck said the altercation broke out between two groups but he didn’t elaborate on the circumstances. He said two people were arrested, including one who was charged with assaulting a police officer.
The altercation came the same day that Erdogan met with President Donald Trump at the White House. The State Department declined to comment.
Earlier Trump and Erdogan had stood side by side at the White House and promised to strengthen strained ties despite the Turkish leader’s stern warning about Washington’s arming of a Kurdish militia.