2 yıl önce

Supporters of PKK terrorist organisation attack Turkish citizen in Germany

German police arrested PKK supporters in Essen city after they attacked a Turkish citizen, who was waiting at a red light in his car.

The supporters of the PKK terrorist organisation in Germany have attacked a Turkish citizen.

At a demonstration in the city of Essen, the supporters attacked a Turkish citizen waiting at a red light in his car on Sunday.

The car was heavily damaged after it was struck with sticks and stones.

The incident went viral on social media. Following it, German police arrested some PKK supporters.

Germany's spy chief in June admitted that the country has become a platform for the PKK terrorist group's fundraising and recruitment activities targeting Türkiye.

"The PKK is organising various fundraising campaigns in Germany and then using this money to finance terror attacks in Türkiye," Thomas Haldenwang, head of the German domestic intelligence agency BfV, told a news conference in Berlin.

He said the PKK is also using various associations in Germany to recruit young people as foreign fighters, who are then sent to Türkiye, Syria or Iraq.

PKK strong presence in the region

According to the BfV's annual security report, the PKK terrorist group is the biggest foreign 'extremist' groups in the country, with around 14,500 followers.

The terrorist group raised an estimated $17.8 million in Germany last year, and also raised more than $30 million in Europe in various fundraising campaigns, the report said.

Since 2013, at least 295 foreign fighters from Germany travelled to northern Syria and Iraq where they received military training from PKK terrorists and took part in armed attacks in the region, according to the report.

The PKK, which is classified as an "ethno-nationalist" and "separatist" terrorist organisation by the EU's law enforcement agency Europol, has been banned in Germany since 1993.

Although Türkiye has repeatedly called on its NATO ally Germany to take stronger action against the PKK, the terrorist group's activities have been largely tolerated by authorities, and Berlin has been reluctant to do more to combat the group.

Türkiye has frequently voiced concerns over European countries' tolerance toward the PKK; however, the terrorist organisation still maintains a strong presence in the region, being able to hold rallies and engage in recruitment activities.