PKK terrorist linked to TUSAS attack arrested in Italy

Italian authorities apprehended PKK terrorist Velat Cetinkaya in Rome, identified as one of the suspects in the deadly October attack in Turkish capital Ankara, according to reports in Turkish and Italian media.

The 50-year-old terrorist was caught in Campino, approximately 30 kilometers from Rome, under a search warrant issued two years prior. German authorities accused Cetinkaya of terrorism, leading to an arrest order from a Stuttgart court in 2022.

Police captured Cetinkaya in a short-term rental apartment typically leased to tourists. His whereabouts came to light following intensified checks on hotels and guesthouses, implemented in the wake of the attack on aerospace and defence company TUSAS in Ankara on October 23, the police sources said.

The attack killed five people and left 22 others injured.

Cetinkaya has been transferred to Rome’s Regina Coeli prison. A police spokesperson disclosed that the operation was conducted in collaboration with agents from the International Police Cooperation Organisation.

Authorities are investigating Cetinkaya's activities and possible affiliations during his time in Rome, as well as the extent of any assistance he may have received.

Turkish media reported that Cetinkaya is among the key suspects linked to the TUSAS attack, although his precise role remains unspecified.

On October 23, two terrorists armed with assault rifles arrived at the premises in a taxi they had commandeered after killing its driver. They set off explosives and opened fire.

Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya identified them as members of PKK, which is designated as a terror group by Türkiye, the United States and the European Union.

In response to the attack, Türkiye escalated military operations against PKK targets in Iraq and Syria.

TUSAS designs, manufactures and assembles civilian and military aircraft, unmanned aerial vehicles and other defence industry and space systems.