Men accused in D.C. beating remain at large
Toronto pair believed to have fled to Turkey after attack on anti-Erdogan protesters in Washington
WASHINGTON— The two Toronto men accused in a high-profile U.S. attack on peaceful protesters have not been arrested, and their whereabouts are now unknown.
Ahmet Dereci and Mahmut Sami Ellialti, passionate supporters of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, face assault and hate crime charges related to unprovoked violence against anti-Erdogan demonstrators in Washington, D.C.
Washington’s police chief announced the charges against Dereci and Ellialti, along with Erdogan bodyguards, at a press conference in June. But his force never asked Toronto police for help apprehending the North York residents, according to Toronto police spokesperson Mark Pugash, and the men did not respond to a public request to turn themselves in.
Dereci’s former Toronto immigration lawyer, Brian Ibrahim Cintosun, and other members of the Turkish and Kurdish communities believe Dereci and Ellialti have fled to their native Turkey.
The Star could not independently confirm this. Photos of Dereci posing at a park in Istanbul were posted on Facebook the week after the charges were announced in June.
Four people at their North York mosque said they both travelled to Turkey in the summer.
Regardless of their present location, the absence of justice has dismayed victims of an attack described by Washington’s mayor as a “vicious” affront to Americans’ free speech rights.
“With him being one of the ones who assaulted me personally, it’s extremely frustrating to see that he’s gotten away scot-free, essentially,” said Toronto’s Elif Genc, a PhD student and Kurdish activist who said she suffered a concussion and numerous bruises when she was assaulted by men allegedly including Ellialti.
“And also, on a larger level, just for Kurds, and for people in this fight for human rights for Kurds, it’s extremely frustrating.”
Victims did not expect Erdogan’s security officers — 15 of the 19 people charged — to be arrested once they were allowed to leave the U.S. But they believed the two residents of Canada would be held accountable, like the two U.S. citizens who were arrested.
“They literally committed the crime in the middle of the day in front of the cameras and in front of the police, and they just get away with it,” said Lucy Usoyan, a Yazidi Kurdish activist who said she suffered a minor brain injury when she was knocked unconscious by men allegedly including Ellialti. “It’s unjust, it’s unfair, and it should be followed and it should be prosecuted.”
The two U.S. citizens arrested each pleaded guilty to one count of assault with significant bodily injury. Prosecutors said they agreed to a jail term of one year apiece.
Dereci and Ellialti are listed as the owners of homes across the street from each other in North York. They could not be reached there when the Star knocked on their doors in late December.
Pugash said it is common for other police forces to ask the Toronto police to apprehend local residents for them. The Washington force would not answer when asked why they did not do so in this case.
“These two individuals still have outstanding warrants and we encourage them to return to the U.S. to face charges,” a spokesperson said in an email in September.
The attack was an international incident. Furious lawmakers from both U.S. parties demanded a firm stand from the U.S. government. The State Department issued a condemnation. President Donald Trump, who has praised Erdogan, remained silent.
The attack occurred on May 16 outside the Washington residence of the Turkish ambassador as Erdogan arrived at the scene for a visit. Much of the drama was caught on video: Erdogan bodyguards in suits, joined by a handful of civilian supporters in casual clothing, charged across a street and began punching and kicking a smaller group of fewer than 20 Kurdish protesters.
Dereci, who has owned an electrical contracting company in North York, was seen on video appearing to punch a protester and then kick him twice as he lay defenceless on the ground.
He is also accused of assaulting a second protester. He is charged with assaulting a senior citizen with a dangerous weapon — his shoe-clad foot — and assault causing significant bodily injury.
Both alleged offences have been classified as hate crimes, since prosecutors say they were motivated by the victims’ ethnicity and political affiliation. A man who answered the phone at Dereci’s company in July would not say whether Dereci had gone to Turkey. “I’m just not allowed to,” the man said.
“I can’t give you any information right now. There’s an ongoing investigation.”
Ellialti is accused of kicking three protesters, including Usoyan. He was charged with aggravated assault, assault with a dangerous weapon — his shoe-clad foot — assaulting a senior with a dangerous weapon, and assault causing significant bodily injury; these offences have also been classified as alleged hate crimes.
Ellialti and Dereci were part of a Toronto group who travelled to Washington to greet Erdogan, who was making an official visit to the White House. Dereci’s cousin, North York resident Alpkenan Dereci, who was not charged for his role in the incident, told a Turkish news agency that people on the pro-Erdogan side were attacked first and were “the real victims.”
Erdogan defended his bodyguards and scoffed at the charges against them, saying, “If they are not going to protect me, why would I bring them with me to America?”