Syrian Kurd in Spain Tries to ‘Shoe’ Turkish PM Erdogan

A young protester tossed his shoe at Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan during his visit to Spain on Monday.
Syrian Kurd in Spain Tries to ‘Shoe’ Turkish PM Erdogan
2/24/2010
Updated:
2/24/2010
A young protester tossed his shoe at Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan during his visit to Spain on Monday. He failed to hit Mr. Erdogan who was just about to enter his car with his wife after leaving Seville town hall.

The shoe flew above the PM’s head and landed on his bodyguard. The attacker, who was a Syrian of Kurdish origin according to the Spanish police, was taken into custody.

The man shouted “Long live Kurdistan,” referring to a geographical region covering southeastern Turkey and its neighboring countries. Kurdistan Workers’ Party is has been waging a 25-year insurgency to establish an independent Kurdish state in Turkey.