The Toyota Hilux compact pickup truck has been the most commonly stolen vehicle in the past two years in Sydney, and authorities said they were being shipped in containers to Turkey and then into Syria to be used by extremists, media reported on Friday.

The Hilux, usually painted white, is the preferred vehicle for IS soldiers who mount machine guns in the open bed at the rear of the vehicle.

Global terror expert Professor Greg Barton said he believed the four-wheel-drive trucks are being exported to Turkey via shipping containers and then driven to Syria.