23 Kurds arrested in France and Spain

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 13 February 2013, 23:52 GMT]
17 Kurds in France and 6 Kurds in Spain alleged of having connections with the PKK were arrested in separate “anti-terror probes” in the two countries on Tuesday. The arrests coincide with the filing of charges against a 46 year old activist by federal prosecutors in Germany, suspecting him of raising funds for the PKK. Incidentally, on the same day, Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan had accused the European Union for being too soft on the PKK. Arrests and interrogations of Kurdish activists in Europe have been intensifying over the past one year, even as Turkey takes a more aggressive stand against the Kurdish movement.

"National police officers have broken up the financing and extortion system of the Kurdish terrorist organisation PKK in Spain," the AFP reported on Tuesday, citing a statement by the Spanish interior ministry.

The arrests in Spain were apparently part of an ongoing ‘anti-terror operation’ called “Cappadocia”.

News sources reported that the Kurds arrested in France were senior figures in their community.

Meanwhile, Turkish jets bombed PKK bases in Northern Iraq on Tuesday.

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