AKP mayor of town bordering Syria escapes from car bomb attack after PM Erdoğan rally

ŞANLIURFA

The attack took place as the mayor of Ceylanpınar, Menderes Atilla, was returning from PM Erdoğan's rally in Şanlıurfa. DHA Photo

The mayor of Ceylanpınar, a district in the Şanlıurfa province on the Syrian border, escaped a car bomb attack late July 14 after returning from Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s presidential campaign rally in Şanlıurfa.

A car parked near the entrance of the town exploded just before midnight as the car carrying Mayor Menderes Atilla was approaching. Following the blast, unidentified assailants with long-barreled rifles opened fire at Atilla’s car before fleeing, slightly injuring the driver and the bodyguard.

Atilla has pointed the finger at the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) for the attack.

“There was a blast from a car loaded with explosives parked in a blind spot at the entrance of the district, as I was returning from the prime minister’s rally. As we were trying to get out from there, we came under fire from another car by gunmen using long-barreled weapons. The gunmen’s car left the scene after firing a few rounds,” he said.

“I suspect that the attack was carried out by the PKK,” Atilla added.

The attack came as high security measures were taken across the province for Erdoğan’s meeting in Şanlıurfa city center.

The AKP won the March 30 local election in Şanlıurfa with a small margin after highly-contested vote. Clashes erupted and continued for a week after the Peace and Democracy Party (BDP), which was the runner-up in the city, called for a re-vote.