Turkey's national team parts ways with Montella, defense firms ban foreign EVs, Trade Minister Bolat denies fund withdrawal claims, and the Riyadh airport attack leaves 12 dead.

In this episode

• TFF Thanks Vincenzo Montella After Parting Ways With National Team Coach
• TEI Chief: Turkish Defense Firms Ban Foreign Electric Cars From Campuses
• Trade Minister Bolat Rejects Claims of 170 Million Lira Fund Withdrawal
• Attack on Riyadh Airport Kills 12 and Injures 309, Saudi Arabia Says

Transcript

Deniz: Good morning everyone. It's Sunday, October 11. Welcome to Turkey Brief Daily. Today: big news in Turkish football, an unusual ban inside the defense industry, a minister pushing back on fund allegations, and a deadly attack in Riyadh.

Maya: Alright, let's start with football since that's what everyone's talking about.

Deniz: Right. The Turkish Football Federation has officially parted ways with Vincenzo Montella after more than three years as national team coach. The board decided not to continue with him, and the TFF thanked him warmly, calling his achievements full of firsts.

Maya: No successor named yet though?

Deniz: No. The statement doesn't say who'll replace him. TFF President Haciosmanoglu is reportedly going to meet Montella in person next week to thank him face to face.

Maya: A respectful exit at least. Okay, next up — this one I find really fascinating. Turkish defense companies have banned foreign electric vehicles from their campuses.

Deniz: Exactly. Mahmut Faruk Aksit, the general manager of engine maker TEI, confirmed this at a conference. He named ASELSAN, ROKETSAN, HAVELSAN and TEI as the firms applying the restriction.

Maya: So the concern is basically surveillance? Cameras and sensors in these vehicles?

Deniz: That's the argument. Aksit said autonomous and electric vehicles' cameras, sensors and software need to be scrutinized. He also warned about AI generating false information and smart devices being hijacked. At TEI, critical data is kept on systems physically separated from the internet.

Maya: Hm, that's a significant security posture. Moving to finance now — Trade Minister Omer Bolat has denied claims he withdrew 170 million lira from an investment account before fund investigations started.

Deniz: Bolat told Anadolu Agency that no such withdrawal or account closure exists in MKK records. He says the figure was fabricated by adding up repeated transactions over 32 months involving sukuk collections. He says he deposited 37.8 million lira in family savings back in February 2024 and has not exited the investment.

Maya: He also denies crypto or overseas accounts. This ties into those ongoing fund investigations, right?

Deniz: Correct. The government launched investigations into seven portfolio management companies back in September. Finally, a major regional story — an attack on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh has killed 12 people and wounded 309. Saudi authorities released the figures. The airport is one of the kingdom's busiest aviation hubs.

Maya: That's a big number of casualties. Any details on who was behind it?

Deniz: The statement didn't elaborate further. Separately, Arab states including Qatar, Egypt and Jordan condemned Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia, calling them serious violations of sovereignty.

Maya: A tense region right now. That's our morning roundup. For the full stories, head over to turkeybrief dot com. Thanks for listening.

Voices in this episode are AI-generated. Stories are based on Turkey Brief's reporting.