Six people have been charged with being part of the banned Kurdistan Workers’ party (PKK) after an investigation by counter-terrorism police.
Turkan Ozcan, 59, Mazlum Sayak, 27, Berfin Kerban, 31, Ali Boyraz, 62, Ercan Akbal, 56, and Agit Karatas, 23, have been accused of being members of the proscribed group, the Metropolitan police said.
The six will appear at Westminster magistrates court on Tuesday.
Acting Cmdr Helen Flanagan, from the Met’s counter-terrorism command, said: “We fully recognise the concern and impact this investigation has had upon the local community and we continue to work closely with local policing colleagues to keep them updated. The charges brought about in this case are very serious and come about following an extensive investigation by our detectives.
“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.”
A 31-year-old man who was arrested as part of the investigation has been released without charge, the force said.
The PKK is a separatist group that wants an independent Kurdish state in south-east Turkey. It has been banned in the UK since 2001. The group has been fighting against the Turkish state since the early 1980s.
The seven suspects were arrested last month, triggering disorder in Haringey, north London, with large numbers of people turning out to prevent further raids in the area.
Searches took place at different addresses including the Kurdish community centre in Haringey, home to the Kurdish People’s Assembly in the UK, an advocacy group.
Kurdish groups called for the “immediate release of those detained” and said the arrests were an “affront to the principles of democracy, justice and human rights that the UK claims to hold”.
