Man fined in Turkey after coming from Germany with fake police car
ISTANBUL
A Turkish man who came to visit his homeland in a sports car dressed as traffic police was issued a fine in May.
Ümit Şimşek, who decorated his German-made roadster as a Turkish traffic police patrol car, triggered an outcry on social media this week when he shared the photos.
Demirören News Agency reported on July 24 that Şimşek travelled to Turkey from Berlin where he resides.
According to the report, Turkish police halted Şimşek in the western province of Edirne on May 5.
He was issued a fine of only 500 Turkish Liras for “modifying a car in an illegal way” while the vehicle was temporarily seized by the police for the removal of the decoration, the agency reported.
On May 15, the car was returned to Şimşek, who reportedly took it back to Germany, where he redressed it like a Turkish police car and shared new photos of it.
It was not immediately clear whether German laws permit the painting of cars in ways that resemble official duty vehicles of another country.
