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, Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu said the attacker has not been caught yet, but U.S. 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 Çavuşoğlu.
"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.
Çavuşoğlu said the Turkish Consulate General held a joint meeting with the New York Police Department (NYPD), the U.S. State Department's Diplomatic Security Service and the Permanent Representative of the U.S. to the UN and intensive efforts are continuing to catch the attacker.
New York Mayor Eric Adams visited the Turkish House, said Çavuşoğlu. A police post will be set up in front of the building, he added. He noted that NYPD vehicles will be there until the police post is established.
Çavuşoğlu said the State Department is also closely following developments, adding he also spoke with U.S. 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 U.S. 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 Özgür told Anadolu.
He said no one was hurt, but 12 windows and the doors of the building, which opened in 2021, were damaged.
On Monday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan called on the U.S. to find the "terrorist" who attacked the Turkish House and "do what is necessary."
"In Europe, the PKK (terrorist group) has seen that things are getting worse, (and) they have started to attack the voters. They probably say that these voters are in favor of the People's Alliance. That's why they attack them.
"What is more, they have attacked the Turkish House in America, just across from the United Nations (building) in the U.S., and broke the windows. Why? You were democrat. What do you gain by attacking the Turkish House, breaking the windows?" said Erdoğan.
"Now aren't we going to tell the American authorities and security forces 'You need to find this terrorist quickly, and you need to do what is necessary'? I wonder if a similar incident happened in Türkiye, how would you look at it?" he told an event in Istanbul.
The Turkish House, he said, is entrusted to U.S. authorities there.
"You need to find this terrorist who broke the windows of the Turkish House with a crowbar."
In its more than 35-year terror campaign against Türkiye, the PKK-listed as a terrorist organization by Türkiye, the U.S. and European Union-has been responsible for the deaths of over 40,000 people, including women, children and infants.
