Turkish police captured a member of the PKK terrorist organization in Istanbul while he was trying to plant explosives on a road used by Turkish troops.
Acting on a tip-off, counterterror units found the suspect identified as Tarık A. wiring a homemade device with 8 kilograms of explosives on the roadside in the city's Beykoz district late Sunday. Police sources said the explosive was hidden in a kitchen pot half-buried at the site frequented by shuttle buses carrying Turkish army's commando recruits. Police also found a gun with a silencer in the suspect's possession.
Police sources said Tarık A. had a conviction record for PKK membership and was trained in a PKK camp on explosives.
The terrorist organization is responsible for a string of terror attacks targeting security forces since July where it renewed its campaign of violence after a brief lull. Dozens of troops and policemen were killed since then, especially in southeastern Turkey, where the group draws recruits. In 2010, four troops and the daughter of an officer were killed when a roadside bomb exploded as a bus carrying troops passed by in Istanbul's Halkalı district. A militant group linked to the PKK had claimed responsibility for the attack.
