Turkish radicals attack US sailors in Istanbul

A mob of political activists in Turkey filmed themselves hurling paint–filled water bombs at US sailors and chanting "Yankee, go home" in a brazen daylight attack.

Around 20 members of the radical political Turkish Youth Union (TGB) surrounded three plain-clothed sailors as they stood at an ATM in Istanbul on Wednesday.

"Because we define you as murderers, as killers, we want you to get out of our land," a leader of the TGB mob yells at the servicemen as party members surround them.

"We are using the right to protest you," he said as members of the group hurl water bombs filled with paint at the sailors.

The young Turks surround the Americans and chant "Yankee, go home!" while they unfurl Turkish flags and TGB banners.

Four men swarm and grab one bespectacled sailor and throw an opaque plastic bag over his head.

The sailor breaks free and makes a dash for freedom, almost losing his glasses as the mob chases him and his compatriots through the streets.

The Americans were on shore leave from the missile destroyer USS Ross which was in port in Istanbul.

Police arrested 12 people in connection with the attack but no charges were filed as of Wednesday night.

Spokesman for the Turkish foreign ministry Tanju Bilgic said: "We condemn this disrespectful act, which is in no way tolerable."

The TGB is described as an ultra-left wing group with a radical anti-Western imperialist stance.

Source: TGBİnternet Bürosu - YouTube