Suspected suicide bomber arrested in eastern Turkey

VAN, Turkey

A suspected suicide bomber has been arrested in Van, eastern Turkey, a prosecution source said Monday.

Van is the home province of the family of Abdulbaki Somer, who killed himself in the Feb. 17 car bomb attack in Ankara that killed 29 people.

The suspect, identified as N.O., was arrested Sunday after being identified by three terror suspects arrested earlier, a source in the Van chief public prosecutor’s office said on condition of anonymity due to restrictions on speaking to the media.

N.O. was identified through photographs and an arrest warrant issued. The suspect, whose gender was not disclosed, was arrested and found to be carrying a passport in someone else’s name.

Neither the source nor officials have clarified which organization the suspect may belong to or the intended target.

On Sunday, Interior Minister Efkan Ala said 18 terror attacks had been prevented in Turkey since the start of the year.