2 U.S. Marines attacked during port visit in Turkey, Navy says

Two U.S. Marines from the USS Wasp were attacked Monday during a port visit in Izmir, Turkey, according to a Navy spokesperson. 

The Marines, part of the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit, were “on liberty” at the time of the incident and taken to a local hospital for evaluation as a precaution, said U.S. Navy Cmdr. Timothy Gorman, U.S. Sixth Fleet spokesperson. The Marines have since returned to their ship. 

“Local Izmir police and the Naval Criminal Investigative Service are cooperating in an investigation of the incident,” Gorman said. “No Marines have been detained by authorities and those involved are cooperating with investigators.”

The Navy isn’t currently disclosing more details about the nature of the incident, such as what the Marines were doing at the time or which suspects attacked them. 

The USS Wasp is part of a marine expeditionary unit on a routine deployment to the eastern Mediterranean Sea. The 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit recently completed a bilateral training exercise with Turkey in the region.