Senior PKK terror suspect arrested in northern Turkey

TRABZON, Turkey

Turkish police arrested a senior PKK terror suspect in the Black Sea region, security sources said on Wednesday.

Local anti-terror police caught the foreign national suspect, identified by initials J.Y., in the northern Trabzon province as part of an operation launched against the terror group.

The suspect was found to have been active in the PYD/YPG in 2013, and was active in PKK's so-called armed women's units in 2015, the sources said on condition of anonymity due to restrictions on speaking to the media.

The questioning of the suspect, who has been taken into custody, continues at the local police department.

The PKK terror group often uses bases in northern Iraq just across Turkey's southern border to hide and plot terror attacks in Turkey.

In its more than 35-year terror campaign against Turkey, the PKK – listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the US, and EU – has been responsible for the deaths of at least 40,000 people, including women, children and infants. The YPG is PKK's Syrian offshoot.​​​​​​​

*Writing by Jeyhun Aliyev from Ankara