Germany arrests PKK terrorist following extradition from Greek Cypriot administration

By Anadolu staff

BERLIN (AA) – Germany arrested a senior member of the PKK terror group following his extradition from the Greek Cypriot administration, authorities said on Tuesday.

Kenan A., one of the leaders of PKK's regional divisions in Germany, was arrested at Frankfurt Airport on Friday, the Federal Prosecutor's Office said in a statement.

The accused has been one of the key figures of the terror group, and for some time, he was responsible for the PKK's activities in the western German state of North Rhine-Westphalia, according to the prosecutors.

He oversaw the terror group's propaganda and fundraising activities in major German cities, including Cologne, Dusseldorf and Essen.

Germany had earlier issued a European arrest warrant for him as part of an anti-terrorism investigation, and he was arrested in the Greek Cypriot administration in March.

The PKK, classified as an "ethno-nationalist" terrorist organization by the EU's law enforcement agency Europol, has been banned in Germany since 1993. However, it remains active in the country with nearly 14,500 followers among the Kurdish immigrant population, according to the German domestic intelligence agency, BfV.

Türkiye has long urged its NATO ally Germany to take a stronger action against the PKK, emphasizing that the terrorist group uses the country as a platform for recruitment, propaganda, and fundraising activities.

In its more than 35-year terror campaign against Türkiye, the PKK has been responsible for the deaths of some 40,000 people.