Public transit bus set on fire in central Istanbul

ISTANBUL – Doğan News Agency

DHA photo

A group of masked people set a public bus on fire in Istanbul’s Ataşehir district late July 29. No casualties were reported.

The group set the bus ablaze, throwing Molotov cocktails after they stopped it in Ataşehir’s Mustafa Kemal neighborhood and asked its passengers and driver to evacuate around 10:30 p.m. on July 29.

Before throwing the Molotov cocktails into the bus, the group ordered the passengers and driver off the bus, saying they would not hurt anybody.

The fire was first dealt with by water cannon, publicly dubbed as TOMA, and then extinguished by the firefighters who stepped in.

Police cordoned off the scene and its surrounding area as a security measure and took the bus driver’s testimony about the incident. 

An eyewitness also recorded the fire with a cell phone camera.