A Frankfurt court on Thursday handed a four-year, five-month prison sentence to a man for his substantial involvement in the PKK terror group’s activities in Germany.
Abdullah Ö., 59, was found guilty of fundraising and propaganda activities for the PKK, which is classified as an "ethno-nationalist" and "separatist" terrorist organization by the EU's law enforcement agency EUROPOL and has been outlawed in Germany since 1993.
The Higher Regional Court of Frankfurt am Main said in a statement that the convict was the chief PKK operative in the federal state of Hesse and carried out activities in the cities of Stuttgart and Mannheim.
The accused was also involved in the organization and implementation of propaganda events of the terrorist organization, according to the court.
"He also monitored the collection of 'donations' and personally contacted potential 'donors.' In this way, between June 2020 and April 2021, `he collected an amount of more than 900,000 euros ($984,000) for the PKK," the court said in a statement.
The accused was arrested on May 11, 2021, and has been in custody since then.
The PKK’s bloody insurgency starting in the 1980s has left over 40,000 people dead in Türkiye.
The Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (BfV), Germany's domestic intelligence agency, warned in its annual report that the PKK remains the largest foreign extremist group in the country and its followers of around 14,5000 can carry out violent attacks if they receive instructions from the group leaders abroad.
PKK operatives were also found to be using various associations in Germany to recruit young people as foreign fighters, who are sent to Türkiye, Syria or Iraq. A total of 300 people joined the group from Germany in the last nine years, the German government said in November.
Türkiye has long called on its NATO ally Germany to take stronger action against the PKK and its Syrian affiliate the YPG, stressing that these terror groups use Germany as a platform for their fundraising, propaganda and recruitment activities.
Several reports from Turkish and international law enforcement agencies have shown the group is able to finance its bloody terrorist campaign through drug trafficking in the European Union, raking in over $1.5 billion annually.
In 2021, the PKK raised an estimated 16.7 million euros in Germany.
Despite Ankara’s requests, 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.