Swedish woman in charge of PKK terrorist group unit nabbed in Türkiye
An undated photo shows Zozan Baransson during a pro-PKK rally in an undisclosed location in Sweden. (DHA Photo)


The National Intelligence Organization (MIT) captured Zozan Baransson, a Swedish woman in charge of the terrorist group PKK/KCK’s women’s units in Sweden, security sources announced on Tuesday.

Baransson was captured in the Nusaybin district of the southeastern Turkish province of Mardin, in a joint operation by MIT and gendarmerie forces.

The suspect has been under surveillance for a while. After her detention, she was deported.

Sources said Baransson was among the organizers of the PKK’s rallies in Sweden to protest the European country’s process to join NATO. Türkiye has urged Stockholm not to tolerate terrorist groups in the Nordic country, namely the PKK, as the former sought Ankara’s approval to join the military alliance. In response to Türkiye’s demands, Sweden greenlit the extradition of a PKK-linked suspect and implemented a new counterterrorism law last year to criminalize participation in a terrorist organization.

The PKK targeted Turks and Turkish missions in Europe in a string of incidents in March, drawing the ire of Ankara. Türkiye warned European countries against the terrorist group, which long allowed PKK members or its supporters to freely move as the group’s supporters claim political asylum in the continent.