Bomb-laden car halted in southeast Turkey’s Diyarbakır

DİYARBAKIR – Doğan News Agency

A vehicle laden with 500kg of explosives, Kalashnikov rifles and ammunition, was apprehended by gendarmerie officials in the southeastern province of Diyarbakır late on Feb. 18, the Governor’s Office has stated, just two days after a car bomb targeting military personnel shuttles killed 28 in the capital Ankara. 

The governor’s office said the vehicle was spotted ahead of a checkpoint established by the gendarmerie command in Diyarbakır’s Dicle district. 

“A car started to slow down around 200 meters from the checkpoint and two men stepped out and opened fire at patrol officers,” the statement said. Security officials returned fire before the suspects escaped into nearby woods. 

While the two men managed to flee, two other vehicles suspected of “preceding and following” the bomb-laden car was apprehended and two other suspects were detained. 

Police found an improvised explosive device (IED) inside the abandoned vehicle. A bomb squad was then sent to the area and further research revealed that the car was carrying 500kg of explosives made by a combination of ammonium nitrate, diesel fuel and aluminum powder. 

The Governor’s Office said the IED was “safely detonated.”

A Kalashnikov rifle, a rifle clip, 28 cartridges, and three IED circuit boards were among the weapons found inside the vehicle.