Suspected PKK terrorist arrested in western Turkey

EDIRNE, Turkey

A suspected senior PKK terrorist was arrested in the northwestern Turkish city of Edirne during an anti-terror operation, security sources said on Saturday.

The suspect, identified as Yilmaz A. -- one of the heads of the Democratic Society Center in the French city of Marseilles, a pro-PKK group -- was nabbed at the Hamzabeyli Border Crossing into Bulgaria, said the sources, who asked not to be named due to restrictions on speaking to the media.

The operation was jointly carried out by the Turkish police and National Intelligence Organzation (MIT), helped by a tip that he might try to leave the country.

Ramazan A., codenamed Sertav -- on the most wanted terrorist list of Turkish Interior Ministry -- is the brother of Yilmaz A., the sources added.

Listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the U.S. and the EU, the PKK has waged a wide-ranging terror campaign against the Turkish state since the mid-1980s, in which an estimated 40,000 people have been killed, including women and children.

Reporting by Salih Baran; Writing by Nilay Kar