Man detained after torching car outside Turkish parliament
ANKARA
Authorities detained a man after he set his car on fire outside the Turkish parliament on Aug. 19, with the Interior Ministry describing the incident as related to vehicle tax grievances.
The 57-year-old man ignited his car at 8:55 a.m. in front of parliament, the ministry said in a statement, noting that he had 16 prior criminal records and had carried out a similar arson attempt in front of a courthouse in the southern province Mersin in 2018.
Local media reported that he drove from Mersin, where he resided. The fire was swiftly extinguished and the man was detained, according to media reports.
Authorities added that he suffers from psychological disorders. Prosecutors in the capital Ankara have launched an investigation against him on charges of “deliberately endangering public safety.”
The ministry further stated that the suspect owns 12 junk cars and had expected a special consumption tax reduction on such vehicles.
When the anticipated cut failed to materialize, he torched his car in protest outside parliament.
Officials also recalled that the man attempted to provoke mourners during the funeral of a Turkish soldier killed by the PKK terrorist organization in 2006. His criminal record includes theft, establishing a criminal organization and threats.
Before the ministry’s clarification, the incident drew suspicion as it coincided with a parliamentary commission meeting on the PKK’s disarmament process.
The episode also gained attention due to the resemblance of the burned vehicle to a Renault Toros. In Türkiye’s recent political memory, the term “white Toros” evokes more than a car model. White Renault 12 Toros sedans became infamous in the 1990s, when they were widely associated with unsolved murders and enforced disappearances in the country’s southeastern provinces.
