Swiss lawmaker raises alarm over reported training camps of terror group PKK in country

By Beyza Binnur Donmez

GENEVA(AA) — Swiss parliamentarian Jacqueline de Quattrohas raised concerns about the activities of the PKK terror group in Switzerland.

Citing a Swiss intelligence report, she said in a letter to the National Council on Friday that the PKK terror group is organizing training camps in Switzerland.

“In the unstable geopolitical context that we are currently experiencing, we do not need a new hotbed of tension, especially since Switzerland is already experiencing a sharp rise in anti-Semitism and violent acts, particularly through the radicalization of minors," de Quattro, a member of the Liberal-Radical Party (PLR), said in the letter, citing Switzerland's Security 2024 report, which was published in late October by the Federal Intelligence Service (FIS).

The report revealed that the PKK engages in covert activities, including propaganda, recruitment, and training camps, both in Switzerland and elsewhere in Europe.

The PKK reportedly indoctrinates young people, recruits individuals to serve as future cadres, and occasionally cooperates with violent left-wing extremist groups.

The report noted that the PKK terror group’s activities could escalate in response to worsening conditions in northern Syria and Iraq or unusual incidents involving the group.

Turkish diplomatic missions, cultural centers, and mosques in Switzerland were identified as potential targets in the report.

De Quattro's letter highlighted these risks, referencing the recent terrorist attack in Türkiye’s capital Ankara, which killed five people and injured 22, as evidence that the PKK continues to carry out violent actions.

"In Switzerland, as elsewhere, the PKK secretly trains, clandestinely collects funds, indoctrinates young people, and recruits them in a targeted manner to turn them into future cadres and send them to the front against the Turkish army, according to intelligence reports," she wrote.

She warned that the worsening Middle East crisis, particularly in Syria, could amplify PKK activism in Europe, including in Switzerland.

"With the worsening crisis in the Middle East, particularly in Syria, there is a concern that PKK activism could intensify in Europe and also in Switzerland. Turkish representations and establishments such as association offices and mosques could become targets, warns the intelligence service," she said.

Amid rising concerns de Quattro urged the Federal Council to respond to the following questions: "How does the Federal Council assess the presence of the PKK in Switzerland? How many PKK training camps are currently operating in the country? Has a strategy been developed to address this emerging threat?"

“The threat of terrorism in our country remains high,” she wrote, emphasizing the importance of taking a firm stance against any group undermining public safety or Swiss values.