Turkey: 79 arrested for suspected PKK links

ANKARA

Some 79 people were arrested across Turkey Monday for suspected links to the PKK terror group.

Police sources said 14 suspects were arrested in southeastern Sanliurfa and 13 were arrested in northwestern Tekirdag in separate operations.

In a statement, the southeastern Hakkari provincial governor's office said four suspects were arrested in Hakkari over links to the PKK while three others were arrested for spreading PKK propaganda on social media.

According to police sources, 13 suspects were arrested in Ankara and 26 were arrested in Agri and Istanbul over links to the PKK.

In northeastern Ardahan, five suspects were arrested for producing PKK propaganda and insulting President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, according to police sources. Two of them were remanded in custody while the other three were released under judicial control, judicial sources said.

Three suspected Daesh members were also arrested in Sanliurfa and were later remanded in custody, according to police and judicial sources.

Considered a terrorist organization by Turkey, the EU, and the U.S, the PKK has killed thousands of civilians and security personnel since 1984, including over 1,200 in the last two years alone.

* Mehmet Fatih Aslan and Rauf Maltas from Sanliurfa, Yilmaz Kazandioglu from Hakkari, Vedat Yucebas from Tekirdag, Sertac Bulur from Ankara and Orhan Gungor from Agri contributed to this report.