Swiss Turkish group finds bomb planted at headquarters

GENEVA

A bomb ready to explode was found in the mailbox of the headquarters of the Swiss Turkish Community (STC), an umbrella organization of Turkish non-governmental organizations in Switzerland, with the PKK terror group a suspect, the head of the body said.

"They placed the bomb in the STC mailbox between 13.30-14.00 yesterday. I immediately called the police when I noticed," Seref Yilmaz, chairman of the STC which is also known as the TGS (Turkische Gemeinschaft Schweiz) in Switzerland, recounted to Anadolu Agency.

"The police took the incident very seriously. The area was cordoned and the evacuation started immediately. Even the entrance and exit to the town was closed. They took us out of the building," said Yilmaz, who himself had suffered numerous attacks by PKK supporters.

Yilmaz said his detailed testimony to the police lasted four hours.

"I call on Swiss authorities to find those responsible as soon as possible and have them held to account before the law. I had to leave my house in Basel where I lived for years due to the threats," he added.

Yilmaz said the STC has been working for solidarity among members of the Turkish community and supporting projects to promote the Turkish diaspora's integration and enhance societal peace and harmony in Switzerland.

Police launched an investigation on the issue, he said, adding that followers of the PKK terrorist organization are believed to be behind the incident.

The PKK has been classified as an "ethno-nationalist" and "separatist" terrorist organization by the EU's law enforcement agency EUROPOL, but has long been active in Switzerland and other European countries, using these territories for recruitment, fundraising, and propaganda activities.

In its more than 35-year terror campaign against Turkey, the PKK -- listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the US, and EU -- has been responsible for the deaths of 40,000 people, including women, infants, and children.

*Writing by Busra Nur Cakmak