Spain: Nine Arrested In Police Operation Against PKK Terrorist Organization
In the early hours of Wednesday morning, officers of the General Commissariat of Intelligence of the Spanish National Police Force carried out a police operation entitled “Operation Valle” in Madrid, Valencia and Bilbao against a structure in Spain with branches in European countries and Turkey whose purpose was to collaborate with and facilitate the integration of individuals into the armed framework of the PKK-KCK terrorist organization, which primarily operates in Turkey and Syria.
The operation was overseen and coordinated by the Judge of Central Criminal Investigation Court Number 6 and the Public Prosecutor’s Office of the Spanish National High Court, according to the Spanish government.
During the course of the operation, the Spanish National Police Force arrested nine people (five in Madrid, three in Valencia and one in Bilbao) accused of offenses related to belonging to a criminal organization and collaborating with a terrorist organization.
Of the nine, eight are Spanish and one is of Turkish nationality whose mission involves direct liaison with the PKK-KCK terrorist organization.
Furthermore, 11 residences were searched in the cities of Madrid, Valencia and Bilbao. One of the searches took place at the “headquarters” of a group calling itself “Communist Reconstruction”, to which the majority of those arrested allegedly belong.
In collaboration with other individuals residing in various European countries, the individuals arrested provided the necessary infrastructure for people to travel overseas and eventually join the ranks of the People’s Protection Units (YPG) or the armed branch of the organization, from which they received training in the use of weapons and explosives at training camps for subsequently going on to join combat cells.
A range of computer equipment and documents that are now pending analysis were seized during the searches, as well as other effects.
The investigation was launched by the Provincial Intelligence Brigade of Madrid of the Spanish National Police Force as part of the surveillance of support and collaboration activities carried out by this terrorist organization.
The PKK-KCK is a terrorist organization that is currently recognized as such in the European Union under Decision 2011/430/CFSP of the Council of 18 July 2011, which updates the list of persons, groups and entities referred to by the precepts of Common Position 2001/931/CFSP on the application of specific measures for the fight against terrorism.
Furthermore, it is considered a terrorist organization by the United States according to the US State Department list of foreign terrorist organizations.