Turkish paper identifies Ankara car bomb attacker as Syrian national

Security officials close the main roads around an explosion site in Ankara, Turkey, on February 17, 2016.

Istanbul: A Syrian national, identified from his fingerprints, carried out a car bomb attack next to military buses in Turkey`s capital, Ankara, that killed 28 people, the pro-government Yeni Safak newspaper said on Thursday.

The paper did not specify the source for its report and it was not immediately possible to confirm it. A claim of responsibility for Wednesday`s bombing has not yet been made.

The bomber, identified as Salih Necar, was thought to have entered Turkey with refugees from Syria. His fingerprints had been taken when he entered the country, which was how police identified him, Yeni Safak reported on its website.

It said the car used in the attack, carried out near Turkey`s military headquarters, parliament and other government buildings, had been rented out in the western Turkish city of Izmir around two weeks ago.

A senior security source said initial signs indicated that Kurdish militants from the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) were responsible for the attack.