US State Department Deputy Spokesperson Mark C. Toner said on Friday that America defends the right of Yeni Şafak to print and report without fear of retaliation.
“We defend the right of Yeni Şafak and Yeni Akit to print and report without fear of reprisal, which is the right of every journalist," he said.
“Violence against journalists is always unacceptable. We said before free and fair – a free and diverse press, rather, is an essential component of a democratic society."
“We urge Turkish authorities to investigate this incident thoroughly and to prosecute the perpetrators in accordance with Turkish law," he continued.
In the early hours of Thursday morning, the Istanbul office of the Yeni Şafak and Yeni Akit newspapers were simultaneously attacked by masked assailants who threw Molotov cocktails and fired pump-action shotguns. There were no casualties in either attack.
Police identified the attackers as members of the United Freedom Forces, a group reportedly formed in December 2014 by Turkish far-left groups fighting in Syria.
The source said the group, based in Kobani, Syria, cooperates with the Syrian Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD) and Turkey's Marxist-Leninist Communist Party (MLKP). Both groups are considered terror organizations by Turkey.
Turkish President Tayyip Erdoğan, Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu, other politicians, media groups and foreign ambassadors condemned the attacks.
US Consulate General in Istanbul Charles F. Hunter also strongly condemned the attacks and offered his condolences during a visit to Yeni Şafak's headquarters.
F. Hunter also met with Yeni Şafak Editor-in Chief İbrahim Karagül and expressed his displeasure over the attack.
F. Hunter said: “We will continue to support press freedom."
Karagül said that the attack was not just against Yeni Şafak, it targeted all media.
