Car used in Ankara blast stolen from rental firm in İzmir: Reports

İZMİR – Doğan News Agency

AFP Photo, inset DHA Photo

The car used in Ankara blast that killed 27 military personnel and one civilian on Feb. 17 was stolen from a vehicle rental company in the western Turkish province of İzmir around two months ago before being sent to Diyarbakır, according to reports.

The initial results of ongoing investigations shed light on the attack carried out by Syrian citizen Saleh Nejar, said to have links to the People’s Protection Units (YPG). 

The car Nejar used to store the explosives was rented from a car rental company in İzmir on Dec. 11, 2015 and illegally sold online on Jan. 4, 2016. 

The firm had appealed to the police when the vehicle was not returned within a week, and a license plate recognition system determined that the car was brought to Istanbul on Dec. 12. However, the authorities could not locate the car within the city.

The investigation has found that a counterfeit license plate was put on the missing vehicle by an Istanbul-based organized crime network, and the car was later sold illegally to an unidentified person online before being sent to the southeastern province of Diyarbakır. 

Security officials say the same vehicle entered Ankara early in February 2016.

Employees and owners of the auto rental company have been questioned by security officials.