Erdogan: Trump 'apologised' over Washington security scuffle

Erdogan: Trump 'apologised' over Washington security scuffle
The US has denied claims from the Turkish president that Donald Trump apologised for a clash between Turkish security guards and Kurdish protesters.
1 min read
20 September, 2017
Recep Tayyip Erdogan [L] claims that Donald Trump [R] apologised over the phone [Anadolu]

US President Donald Trump said he was "sorry" for an incident in which Turkish security personnel attacked anti-Ankara government protesters in Washington, Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said.

Speaking to PBS NewsHour, Erdogan said that Trump expressed regret about the incident in a phone call between the two leaders.

"President Trump called me about a week ago about this issue. He said that he was sorry, and he told me that he was going to follow up on this issue when we come to the United States within the framework of an official visit," the Turkish leader said.

The White House, however, has denied that the US president had said he was "sorry" for the brawl.

"They discussed a wide range of issues but there was no apology," a White House official told US broadcaster CNBC.

The clash between Kurdish protesters and President Erdogan's security team took place in May, during the Turkish head of state's visit to Washington.

Video footage of the clash shows Erdogan's bodyguards beating protesters while US police struggle to break up the scuffle. 

Following the incident, 15 Turkish security guards were indicted by a grand jury in Washington over what the state's police chief described as a "brutal attack" on protesters.