London police arrest six on suspicions being linked to PKK militant group – UPI.com

Dec. 10 (UPI) — London police on Tuesday announced six people have been arrested on charges of being linked to the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, a militant group banned as a terrorist organization in Britain.

The six suspects were set to make their initial appearance Tuesday at Westminster Magistrates’ Court, London’s Metropolitan Police said.

“The charges brought about in this case are very serious and come about following an extensive investigation by our detectives,” Acting Commander Helen Flanagan of the Met’s Counter Terrorism Command said in a statement.

“It is important that communities right across London know that where we suspect any kind of potential terrorist activity, then we will look to investigate and take action to disrupt that in order to keep everybody safe.”

The suspects were initially arrested Nov. 27 and charged with membership of a terrorist organization on Monday.

Those charged were identified as Turkan Ozcan, 59, of Edmonton; Mazlum Sayak, 27, of South Woodford; Berfin Kerban, 31, of Haggerston; Ali Boyraz, 62, of Tottenham; Ercan Akbal, 56, of Leyton; and Agit Karatas, 23, of Hackney.

A seventh person identified as a 31-year-old man detained by police amid its investigation was released Sunday without charges.

Detective Chief Superintendent Caroline Haines, who heads local policing in the London borough of Haringey, said they will continue to communicate with the Kurdish community and keep them updated “to address any concerns.”

“Additional patrols will remain ongoing in the affected areas over the coming days and I would ask that if you still have any concerns, then please get in touch with me or my local officers so that we can work with you to keep everyone safe,” Haines said.

The Kurdistan Workers’ Party, also known as the PKK, is a Marxist-Leninist militant group formed in the late 1970s that seeks an independent Kurdistan from Turkey. It has been in conflict with Turkey since launching an armed insurgency against Ankara in 1984.

According to the United States’ Director of National Intelligence, the PKK has some 4,000 members and has conducted several terrorist attacks that have killed scores of people, including civilians.

In December 2016, 44 people were killed and another 155 wounded in a bomb attack outside a Istanbul soccer stadium.

Several nations have designated the PKK a terrorist organization. The United States designated the group in October 1997, Britain in March 2001, Canada in December 2002 and the European Union in 2004, among others.