Beware the Kia…

The car company KIA is not getting good press these days in Lebanon. Why? Well, the car which was used in today’s suicide bombing in Beirut was identified after the blast as a Kia–as was the car used in the devastating explosion in Hermel on January 16th. Security forces are claiming to have detained the men who stole both of the cars before the cars were booby-trapped with explosives. One of them, Nabil Ahmed al-Moussawi, has confessed to stealing several Kia vehicles–including the one used in today’s deadly blast. With everyone on high alert after today’s bombing, Kia is definitely getting a bad rap from all the negative PR. Even today, while I was running errands in Beirut, I found myself keeping an eye out for any Kia vehicles that looked suspicious. It doesn’t help that Kia’s official slogan is: “The Power to Surprise.”