U.S. to Probe How Islamic State Got Toyota Vehicles
The United States Treasury is reportedly probing the Toyota vehicle manufacturer after photos surfaced showing Islamic State terrorists riding in Toyota trucks.
Toyota released a recent statement saying that it is fully cooperating with a U.S. Treasury investigation into how the Middle Eastern terrorist group accesses resources and capital.
Toyota spokesperson Ed Lewis said in a statement to CNN that it is "committed to complying fully with the laws and regulations of each country or region where we operate and require our dealers and distributors to do the same. We are supporting the U.S. Treasury Department's broader inquiry into international supply chains and the flow of capital and goods in the Middle East."
Lewis added that although the vehicle company has a "strict policy to not sell vehicles to potential purchasers who may use or modify them for paramilitary or terrorist activities," it is impossible to track vehicles that have been stolen or resold.
Recent photos and videos of the Islamic State show the terrorists driving caravans of new-looking Toyota trucks, specifically the Toyota Land Cruiser and Hilux.
Lukman Faily, the Iraqi Ambassador to the United States, said in a statement that the U.S. is still attempting to figure out where all of these vehicles could have come from.
"This is a question we've been asking our neighbors," Faily said. "How could these brand new trucks — these four-wheel drives, hundreds of them — where are they coming from?"
The company has reportedly maintained that many of the Toyota vehicles photographed with Islamic State militants are in fact older models.