Terror Watch · Arrest reported · Updated October 2, 2026, 2:09 PM CDT
Early reports about attacks are often incomplete and sometimes wrong. This page reports only what named outlets and officials say, in their words, and is updated as reporting changes. If you are near an incident, follow instructions from local authorities and call your local emergency number.
Turkey’s intelligence agency says it has captured a man wanted over the 2013 car-bomb attack in Reyhanlı that killed 53 people.[1]
The capture was reported on Thursday, October 1. The attack itself is 13 years old. This report is about the arrest and what Turkish security sources allege.
What the sources say
Turkey’s National Intelligence Organization (MIT) captured the man as he prepared to flee to Europe by sea, security sources told Anadolu Agency. He was wanted under an Interpol Red Notice and has been brought to Türkiye.[1][2]
The attack took place in May 2013 and killed 53 people, according to the report.[2]
The sources say the man helped plan and organise it and linked the perpetrators with intelligence officials tied to the government of Bashar al-Assad in Syria. They say materials for the bomb were obtained at a military-intelligence branch in Latakia and that a bomb-laden vehicle was driven to Reyhanlı and set off by remote control.[1]
The sources allege that those involved were paid by the Assad government.[1]
We are not naming the man or the other individuals the sources describe. The sources are unnamed, and no official statement has identified them.
Who else has been caught
The sources say MIT began hunting those responsible right after the attack and watched this man’s activity in Syria for years. They list earlier captures: one of the alleged perpetrators in 2018, another man in 2024, and two more in 2025.[1]
They say the officer who ordered the attack was later appointed head of Syria’s National Security Bureau, and that he fled abroad after the Assad government fell.[1][2]
What we do not know
These are allegations from Turkish security sources, relayed by Anadolu Agency. They have not been tested in court in anything we found, and the Syrian government of that time is not available to respond. Turkish authorities have not published a formal statement in the reports we read.
Where it happened
The pin marks the town named in the reports. Map data: OpenStreetMap contributors.
How to Verify This Yourself
Read news.az and UA.NEWS, both citing Anadolu Agency.
References
- news.az. Türkiye captures Syrian suspect in 2013 Reyhanli terror attack, citing Anadolu Agency. ↩
- UA.NEWS. Turkish intelligence detains suspect in Reyhanlı terrorist attack, citing Anadolu Agency. ↩
Investigative methodology: this report was written by hand from the official statements and news reports listed above. Quoted passages are verbatim from those sources, each claim is attributed to the source it comes from, and suspect details are included only where officials state them.
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