Police find vehicle loaded with 248 kg explosives in Turkey’s Mardin

MARDIN

Turkish police found a vehicle loaded with 247.8 kilograms of explosives and other devices in southeastern Turkey, the local governorship said on Nov. 1.

According to a statement by Mardin province’s governorship, five suspects were detained related to the incident.

The statement said police forces found the vehicle on Ceylanpınar-Kızıltepe highway at around 7.30 pm local time (0430 GMT) on Oct. 31.

The operation was carried out in the city after it was learned that large amounts of explosive materials were illegally brought by PKK and YPG militants from Syria and they would be transferred to other Turkish provinces for bombing activities, the governor’s office said.

The PKK is listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey as well as the United States and the European Union. Ankara considers the YPG as the Syrian extension of the illegal PKK.

“These explosives and mechanisms were prepared in a way that could cause 32 [bombing] incidents to be undertaken in metropolises. These 32 incidents were going to claim lives,” Mardin Governor Mustafa Yaman said on Nov. 1.

The explosive material seized in the vehicle was identified as pentaerythritol tetranitrate, also known as PETN, the governor’s office said.

An investigation into the incident was launched by Mardin Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office.