As part of a counterterrorism investigation into suspected activities connected to the banned Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), six people have been arrested in London.
Under section 41 of the Terrorism Act 2000, a 59-year-old woman, a 27-year-old man, a 31-year-old woman, a 62-year-old male, a 56-year-old man, and a 23-year-old man have been detained in London.
Officers are also searching eight locations across the capital, including the Kurdish Community Centre in Haringey, north London.
Acting Commander Helen Flanagan, from the Met's Counter Terrorism Command, states that the move comes after a “significant investigation and operation into activity [The Met] believes is linked to the terrorist group PKK.
“These are targeted arrests of those we suspect of being involved in terrorist activity linked to the group.
“I hope that these arrests show that we will not tolerate any sort of terrorist activity and that we will take action where we believe there is harm being caused to communities here in the UK or elsewhere,” she added.
The issues being investigated are not thought to pose an immediate threat to the public.
What is the PKK?
Formed in 1978, according to the UK Government, the group and its aliases are “primarily a separatist movement that seeks an independent Kurdish state in south-east Turkey”.
To promote Kurdish rights and recognition, the group seeks to seize control of Kurdish regions in Iran, Iraq, Syria, and Turkey.
Since 2001, the PKK has been prohibited for advocating Kurdish self-rule through military conflict and political means.
The group was founded by Abdullah Ocalan, who was captured in a Turkish operation in 1999 and sentenced to life in prison.
The PKK has always kept its main office in Iraq and concentrated mostly on striking Turkish targets in south-east Turkey, which is home to a Kurdish majority.
A ceasefire between the PKK and the Turkish government was in place from 2013 to 2015. Since then, the majority of the PKK's activities have been forced into Iraq and Syria by Turkish security forces.
According to Crisis Group’s fatality tally, 7,119 people have been killed in clashes or terror attacks linked to the PPK since July 2015.
Although the PKK is prohibited in the US, the EU, and Britain, Turkish officials have expressed dissatisfaction at the lack of action taken by US and European authorities, including Nato allies, to combat illegal activity within their borders.
Recent attack on a Turkish defence company
The PKK recently claimed responsibility for an attack on a Turkish state-run defence company near the capital, Ankara, in October.
Five people were killed and 22 were wounded after PKK members set off explosives and opened fire using automatic rifles at the company campus.
The group claimed “it was an act of sacrifice” on the Telegram messaging app.
Turkey responded with airstrikes in northern Iraq, striking 34 PKK targets in Hakurk, Gara, Qandil and Sinjar, demolishing shelters, warehouses, and other infrastructure.
