US officials say two US Marines are safe after being attacked in Turkey on Monday in an attack recorded on video that showed a man placing what appeared to be a bag over one of the marines’ heads.
The Marines, who are on a routine deployment with the U.S. Navy’s Wasp amphibious readiness group, were in the port city of Izmir when the attack occurred Monday afternoon, Navy Commander Adm. Timothy Gorman said in a statement.
Fifteen attackers, including members of the youth wing of an opposition nationalist party, were detained, the local governor’s office said in a statement, according to Reuters.
It is unclear what prompted the attack, but a short video of the incident reviewed by NBC News shows a group of people yelling at the man and trying to subdue him in a business district, before one of them places what appears to be a bag over his head.
A moment later, another man is seen charging into the group, none of the soldiers in uniform.
Other Marines intervened and no one was injured, according to a Navy statement, and the crew later returned to their ship, the USS Wasp.
The U.S. Embassy in Turkey said in a statement it thanked authorities for their swift response and for their ongoing investigation. The service members are safe and the Marines are not in custody, the embassy said.
Officials are cooperating with local investigations, the Navy said in a statement.
