Attempted assassination of Turkish President foiled – report

JERUSALEM, Israel —Turkish media reported that an assassination attempt on President Recep Tayyip Erdogan was foiled on Saturday evening by Turkey’s intelligence services.

The media reported that an explosive device was found under a police car in the southeastern town of Siirt before the start of a rally where Erdogan was to speak.

The media said that the device was dismantled and defused by a bomb disposal squad.

A forensic team on the site took fingerprints from the vehicle and a search is on to find the perpetrator.

In a separate development, Erdogan said on Saturday that he hoped volatile exchange and inflation rates would stabilise soon and he once again promised low interest rates after a historic dip in the Lira.

The Lira has lost around 30% in the past month in a massive selloff driven by aggressive interest rate cuts that Erdogan sought, but which opposition economists and politicians say are reckless in part because of rising inflation.

“God willing we will stabilise all fluctuations in prices and forex rates in not such a long time,” Erdogan told an audience in the eastern city of Siirt.