Turkey police shoot driver 'planning Israel protest'

The suspect claimed he was planning a protest at Israel's embassy in Ankara.

ANKARA: Turkish police on Monday shot a tractor driver in the leg after he refused to stop, state media reported, with the suspect claiming he was planning a protest at Israel's embassy in Ankara.

The 45-year-old was detained after damaging several vehicles with the tractor in the capital despite calls to stop by the police, state-run news agency Anadolu said.

The driver claimed that he was on his way "to protest in front of the Israeli embassy" in Ankara but no details on the planned action were given by Anadolu.



However, an Israeli official, who did not wish to be named, said "to the best of our understanding, the incident was not related to Israel or its embassy".

The Ankara governor's office said in a statement that the incident was being investigated but officials could find no links to terror.

The office did not mention the planned protest and the incident took place near the Israeli ambassador's residence in Ankara, not the embassy.

Relations between Israel and Turkey, one of the Jewish state's few key Muslim partners, have been strained this year.

In May, Ankara ordered Israel's ambassador to leave over the killing of protesters along the border with the Gaza Strip.