Turkish police investigating movements of Kayseri car bomb attacker

Fevzi Kızılkoyun - ANKARA

Turkish police are investigating the movements of the car that was used in an attack in the Central Anatolian province of Kayseri on Dec. 17, which claimed the lives of 14 soldiers, focusing particularly on what it did after arriving in the province. 

Previous reports stated that the suicide bomber responsible for the attack arrived in the province at around midnight and staged the attack at 8:45 a.m.

The suicide bomber obtained LPG from a gas station around 70 kilometers away from the city center of Kayseri. According to security footage obtained by police, the suicide bomber arrived at the gas station at around 12:16 a.m. and was alone in the car. He gave 100 Turkish Liras after filling up LPG and then waited for the remainder of his money without talking, said the gas station worker, who wished to remain anonymous. 

“The person inside the car told me to fill the depot without showing his face as he opened the window of the car. He gave me 100 liras and I gave him 20 liras back. He then left,” the gas station worker said. 

The suicide bomber arrived in Kayseri’s city center nearly 40 minutes later, but it is not yet clear what he did in the intervening eight hours between his arrival and the attack. Officials are trying to determine whom he contacted, where he went and what he did by examining security cameras in the province. 

Meanwhile, Commando Sgt. Tolga Öğütlü, who was among the 48 people who were wounded in the attack, said a civilian boarded the bus but disembarked right before the attack occurred. 

“Three buses usually come for us [to bring us to the city center]. It’s forbidden for people other than soldiers to get on the buses. There are two stations in total, one where we get on and the other where we get off. We got on the bus. At that moment a civilian also got on the bus,” Öğütlü told Doğan News Agency, adding that he was looking at the bus after he got off.

“The person got off the bus. He was looking at the bus when he was walking. Then the explosion took place,” he added. 

A total of 14 soldiers were killed and 56 people were wounded after a car bomb attack was conducted by an outlawed Kurdistan Freedom Hawks (TAK) militant.