Turkey calls on Austria to arrest attackers of Turkish Embassy

ANKARA

Turkey expects Austrian authorities to arrest the perpetrators of an attack against the Turkish Embassy and ensure the security of the Turkish diplomatic missions in the country, the Turkish Foreign Ministry said in a statement on late March 22. 

According to the ministry, some people passed to the roof of the Turkish Embassy in Vienna from the roof of the neighboring building, unfurled to the exterior side of the embassy a banner with racist and threatening expressions in German, targeting President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and the Turkish people living in Austria. 

“The banner in question was immediately taken down by our embassy officials; and the police, upon being informed, ensured security in the area but they failed to catch the perpetrators. As the investigation was ongoing, an extreme right-wing group named ‘Identitare Bewegung’ [The Identitarian Movement] announced on the internet that it claimed responsibility for the action,” it said. 

“The security of the Turkish Embassy in Vienna, where our diplomats were martyred in the past, and the Turkish representations in Austria are under the responsibility of the Austrian authorities. This act perpetrated against our embassy, unfortunately, reveals a serious security and intelligence deficiency. We expect from the Austrian authorities to arrest the perpetrators as soon as possible and punish them accordingly as well as ensure adequately the security of our missions in Austria,” the ministry said. 

“It is clear that this act is an inevitable consequence of the Austrian government’s negative and provocative understanding based on internal political considerations, which irresponsibly targets Turkey and the Turkish community,” it added.