— The U.S. Treasury Department has opened an investigation into why and how Toyota vehicles are getting into the hands of ISIS, (ISIL or Islamic State). U.S. authorities say hundreds if not thousands of apparently brand new Toyota Hilux pickups and Toyota Land Cruisers are in the hands of ISIS, all then equipped with various weapons of war.
The Toyota investigation is part of a larger U.S. government investigation into how ISIS acquires its money and equipment, a question Toyota says it can't answer right now.
Speaking with CNN, a spokesman for Toyota said the automaker has a strict policy to never sell vehicles that will be used or modified for paramilitary or terrorist activities. Toyota says it has no clue how ISIS is getting the vehicles because there are procedures to verify the vehicles aren't used for unauthorized military purposes.
Toyota further said it's impossible for it or any automaker to have control over stolen vehicles or vehicles that are resold by third parties.
Although Toyota seems to be the favored choice of ISIS, other models from various manufacturers have also been seen in ISIS video and images, including models from Hyundai, Isuzu and Mitsubishi. However, U.S. authorities wouldn't confirm what other companies were part of the probe.
In a conversation with ABC News, the Iraqi ambassador to the U.S. said ISIS was in possession of hundreds of new Toyotas.
“This is a question we’ve been asking our neighbors. How could these brand new trucks, these four wheel drives, hundreds of them, where are they coming from?” - Ambassador Lukman Faily
Toyota said it's working with authorities to determine what the automaker can do to stop its Toyota Hilux pickups and Toyota Land Cruiser SUVs from landing in the wrong hands.
