Texas Plumber’s Used Truck Ends Up in the Hands of ISIS

How did one man’s Ford F-250 end up in the hands of a violent Islamist military force?

When you sell your beloved old truck, you hope it doesn’t end up with a careless owner, and you really hope it doesn’t end up in Syria with a heavy-artillery gun mounted in the bed and four ISIS militants in the cab. Unfortunately for Mark Overholtzer of Texas City, the latter is exactly what happened to his Ford F-250.

This Monday, a photo posted by ISIS’s Ansar al-Deen front showed Mark’s truck, still emblazoned with his plumbing company’s name and contact information, with a refrigerator-sized anti-aircraft gun being fired from the bed.

Mark hadn’t done any shady Ebay deals, or packed his truck into a shipping container marked Jihadi Use Only. Rather, he did what thousands of car owners do daily: trade in his old truck at a local dealership. He said he figured the dealer would remove his decals before auction.

Our advice? If your old vehicle looks like it might fit an artillery gun, play it safe and scrape off any markings identifying you, your family, or business. If your trade-in makes a cameo on Al Jazeera, you’re going to want to be none the wiser. 

Photos by NYDN

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