Reyhanlı bombings suspect met al-Assad ahead of attack: Report

ANKARA

People stand around a damaged building as officers work in debris on May 15, 2013 at Reyhanli in Hatay, just a few kilometres from the main border crossing into Syria. Reyhanlı bombing's prime suspect Yusuf B. met with al-Assad before the attack, according to daily Habertürk’s report. AFP PHOTO / BULENT KILIC

One of the suspects in the Reyhanlı attack has admitted that their leader, identified as Yusuf B., met Syrian President Bashar al-Assad before conducting the bombing, which killed 51 people.

The suspect, who was only identified as Yusuf B., also said the main target of the attack was the capital city of Ankara instead of Hatay’s Reyhanlı district.

“Yusuf N., our commander and the planner of the attack, met Bashar al-Assad with a general who was codenamed Ethem. All kinds of support were promised to be given for the bombing, which was first planned to be conducted in Ankara,” Yusuf B. said, according to daily Habertürk’s report.

Yusuf B. explained that they had abandoned conducting the attack in Ankara due to tight security measures. He said they had decided it would be risky to bring the bombs from Reyhanlı to Ankara by road, so they conducted the bombing in Reyhanlı. The bombs were reportedly brought to Turkey by the Syrian intelligence agency, al-Mukhabarat, ahead of the attack.