June 20, 2018•Update: June 20, 2018
By Huseyin Yildiz, Fahrettin Gok and Ismail Sen
IGDIR/ERZURUM/ELAZIG, Turkey
A total of 79 people have been arrested across Turkey for alleged links to the PKK/KCK terror group, according to security sources on Wednesday.
Fifteen people were arrested in eastern Igdir province where police also confiscated two Kalashnikovs, six shotguns and 295 shotgun shells during the operation, a source, speaking on condition of anonymity due to restrictions on talking to the media, said.
In Erzurum province in eastern Turkey, another 15 suspects accused of spreading terror propaganda were arrested, another security source said.
They were also accused of influencing voters and threatening people on behalf of PKK/KCK terror group.
Turkey is going to presidential and parliamentary elections on June 24.
Another three suspects were arrested in eastern Elazig province for spreading propaganda of PKK/KCK group on social media.
In southeastern Gaziantep province, 12 PKK/KCK suspects were arrested during a drone-backed operation.
The suspects were allegedly planning to carry out an attack during Turkey's presidential and parliamentary elections on June 24.
They were also accused of doing terrorist organization's propaganda online.
Police also arrested 34 people in southeastern Sirnak province for alleged terror propaganda on social media.
The PKK is listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey as well as the U.S. and the EU.
In its terror campaign against Turkey, which has lasted for more than three decades, over 40,000 people have been killed, including women and children.
* Ekrem Payan from Sirnak and Adsiz Gunebakan from Gaziantep contributed to the story
