Late on Wednesday, a minibus laden with nearly two tons of explosives was discovered by police near the site of a pro-democracy rally in the eastern city of Bitlis.

Local media reported that militants from the PKK terrorist organization, which has been launching attacks on civilians in the region since last summer, loaded the minibus with explosives.

The minibus, found in the district of Tatvan, was destroyed in a controlled explosion by police bomb disposal units. The minibus was adorned with Turkish flags to detract attention. Turkish flags have been ubiquitous in the vehicle convoys for pro-democracy rallies seen on the streets of major cities in Turkey every night after the coup attempt on July 15.

Bitlis Police Chief Fatih Kaya told reporters that they received an intelligence report regarding a PKK attack, and that citizens noticed suspicious cables sticking out from under the vehicle which aided the police to discover the bomb-laden minibus.