The PKK is considered to be a terror group by Ankara, the United States and the European Union. The PKK has waged an insurgency against the Turkish state since 1984 during which tens of thousands of people have been killed. The German foreign ministry meanwhile would only say that it was "aware of the cases" and that the embassy in Ankara was providing consular assistance. The German interior ministry denied claims that information leading to the detention of the five was handed over to Turkish authorities during Interior Minister Horst Seehofer's visit to Ankara this week. Turkish Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu in March this year threatened to detain individuals who came to Turkey if they were involved with the PKK and other groups.

Source: The Local October 05, 2019 13:18 UTC