A man suspected of being the ringleader of the PKK terrorist group's formation in Germany's North Rhine-Westphalia region was caught in Istanbul on Saturday, Turkish security sources said.
Mürsel Durmaz, code-named "Zeynel," who has allegedly been active in the western German cities of Cologne and Troisdorf, was captured in a joint operation by the Istanbul police's Counterterrorism Branch and the National Intelligence Organization (MIT), said the sources, who asked not to be named due to restrictions on speaking to the media.
After learning that Durmaz would arrive in Istanbul by plane from Germany, Turkish authorities detained him at Istanbul's Sabiha Gökçen Airport.
The suspect was taken to Istanbul police headquarters and, after processing, remanded in custody by the judge on duty.
The PKK, classified as an "ethno-nationalist" terrorist organization by the EU's law enforcement agency, Europol, has been banned in Germany since 1993.
Germany's domestic intelligence agency, BfV, warned in its annual report that the PKK remains the largest foreign extremist group in the country and its followers can carry out violent attacks upon instructions from group leaders abroad.
The group's sympathizers attacked the Turkish Consulate building in Hannover just last month after holding pro-PKK demonstrations in the city without any intervention from the police. No one was killed or injured, but there was damage to the building, which German security is obligated to protect as an official representation of Türkiye in the country. Similarly, the same week, the group attacked Turkish nationals and scuffled with the police during riots in two Belgian cities.
Ankara has since urged action from European countries.
The PKK supporters also scuffled with the French police at the Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport late last month to stop the extradition of PKK member Fıraz Korkmaz from France to Türkiye.
Several reports from Turkish and international law enforcement agencies have shown the group can finance its bloody terrorist campaign through drug trafficking in the European Union, raking in over $1.5 billion annually. It relies on its supporters and pro-PKK political groups across Europe.
Europol's "EU Terrorism Situation & Trend Report" also revealed that the group maintained "an apparatus that provided logistical and financial support to its operatives in Türkiye and neighboring countries and promoted its political objectives." This apparatus mainly operated under the guise of legally recognized entities, such as Kurdish associations, it added.
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 been frequently voicing concerns over European countries' tolerance toward the PKK; however, the terrorist organization still maintains a strong presence in the region, being able to hold rallies and engage in recruitment activities.
In its more than 40-year terror campaign against Türkiye, the PKK has been responsible for the deaths of more than 40,000 people.