Finding perpetrator of attack on Turkish House ‘only a matter of time’: Cavusoglu

ANKARA (AA): Finding the perpetrator of the attack on the Turkish House in New York City is “only a matter of time,” Türkiye’s foreign minister said Tuesday.

Speaking to TV100, Mevlut Cavusoglu said the attacker has not been caught yet, but the US authorities are working hard to track him down.

“He had a hat, but his face was uncovered, a crowbar in his hand…He hit the windows with it and left the crowbar on the ground there and ran away,” said Cavusoglu.

“There was also a fingerprint on the crowbar he used, so it’s only a matter of time before he gets caught. We think he can’t escape,” he added.

Cavusoglu said the Turkish Consulate General held a joint meeting with the New York Police Department (NYPD), the US State Department’s Diplomatic Security Service and the Permanent Representative of the US to the UN and intensive efforts are continuing to catch the attacker.

New York Mayor Eric Adams visited the Turkish House, said Cavusoglu.

Cavusoglu said the State Department is also closely following developments, adding he also spoke with US Ambassador to Türkiye Jeff Flake and thanked him for their close attention.

“Of course, as the host country, the United States is responsible for the protection of diplomatic missions. We are also responsible for those in Türkiye. The Vienna Convention is also clear. We expect this person to be caught as soon as possible,” he said.

“We requested that additional security measures be provided not only to the Turkish House, but to all our missions in the US. Our Ambassador and our friends are following (things) closely.”

The Turkish House, a dedicated building for diplomatic missions and cultural events, was attacked in the early hours of Monday.

The assailant smashed the windows of the building at 3.14 a.m. local time, Turkish Consul General in New York Reyhan Ozgur told Anadolu.

He said no one was hurt, but 12 windows and the doors of the building, which opened in 2021, were damaged.