One suspect detained in Turkish-Syrian border blast

One suspect detained in Turkish-Syrian border blast

ISTANBUL
One suspect detained in Turkish-Syrian border blast

AA photo

One man was taken into custody today over alleged connections to the border gate blast that killed 14 people in Turkey’s Cilvegözü, daily Hürriyet has reported.

The man allegedly took one of the unidentified suspects into his vehicle after the suspect got out of the van in which the explosives were placed. The other two suspects then advanced toward the Syrian side of the border.

The person in custody, identified as Tamer A., took the suspect about 35 kilometers into the city, before dropping him off near the center of Hatay.

Tamer reportedly said he did not know who the person was.

The death toll from the Feb. 11 blast increased to 14 yesterday, with investigations focusing on three suspects who were seen on camera footage leaving the van shortly before the explosion. The car that exploded came from the Syrian side and three people had left the car parked near the border gate before the blast.

A security guard who was at the scene of the blast said a covered woman remained in the backseat while two other suspects spent a few minutes by the driver’s seat. One of the suspects was seen walking toward the Turkish side of the border while two others walked toward the Syrian side.