Turkish police detain 10 PKK suspects

ISTANBUL, Nov. 18 (Xinhua) — Turkish police detained 10 suspected members of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) on Monday, accusing them of involving in “illegal protests” in Istanbul, Türkiye’s largest city.
State-run TRT broadcaster reported that the suspects face charges of hanging banners, organizing illegal protests, throwing Molotov cocktails at a district municipal community center, chanting PKK-supportive slogans, and setting off fireworks.
The arrests were made during operations conducted by the Istanbul Police Department’s Counter-Terrorism Unit across four districts of the city and in the southern province of Kars.
Several banned publications, organizational documents, and digital materials were also seized during the operation, the TRT added, noting that the suspects were taken to the police station for questioning.
Türkiye has intensified its operations against the PKK following a terrorist attack in northern Ankara in October that killed five people and injured 22 others. The attack, carried out by two assailants, targeted the Turkish Aerospace Industries’ production facilities. The PKK claimed responsibility for the attack.
The PKK is recognized as a terrorist organization by Türkiye, the European Union, and the United States for its insurgency against the Turkish government over the past three decades. ■