Security forces defuse explosive ahead of Turkey's President rally

Turkish security forces have defused an explosive device placed under an officer car tasked for security in Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s rally in the southeastern province of Siirt.

A police investigation is underway following the Saturday's incident. No suspects have been apprehended yet.

According to public broadcaster TRT Haber, the improvised explosive under the police officer’s personal vehicle was found in Mardin, another province in the country's southeast.

The officer was tasked with reinforcing the security of president Erdogan's rally in Siirt, a province about 200 kilometres away from Mardin.

The police officer was dispatched to pick up his colleague from his residency who also was tasked with the rally, the Interior Ministry said. His colleague realised an object under the car and after an investigation, it was confirmed that was a bomb, the ministry added.

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The explosive was discovered before the police officer traveled to Siirt and was defused by bomb squads.

Defence authorities and crime scene investigation teams have started an investigation looking for fingerprints and any existing evidence.

The investigation teams also checked the security cameras in the region.

'No place for terrorism in Turkey'

In his speech during a rally in Siirt, President Erdogan said that terrorism has no place in the future of his country and the region, insisting that Turkey will continue its fight inside and outside its borders until it removes terrorism from the country.

He also hailed the role of civil society and the government services over the past years.