Six arrested by Met police as part of investigation into Kurdistan terror group
A community centre in Haringey, north London, is due to remain closed for two weeks
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Counter-terrorism police have arrested six people and a community centre is temporarily closed as part of an investigation into the banned Kurdistan Workers Party.
The group, known as the PKK, is classed as a terrorist organisation in the UK and the arrests came amid a “significant” police probe into potential terrorist activity.
Four men aged 23, 27, 56 and 62, and two women aged 31 and 59, were arrested at separate addresses in dawn raids in London and remain in custody, the Metropolitan Police said.
Searches are taking place at eight addresses including the Kurdish Community Centre in Haringey, north London, where the force said the search operation would take up to two weeks.
Acting commander Helen Flanagan, from the Met’s Counter Terrorism Command, said: “This activity has come about following a significant investigation and operation into activity we believe is linked to the terrorist group PKK.
“These are targeted arrests of those we suspect of being involved in terrorist activity linked to the group.
“I hope that these arrests show that we will not tolerate any sort of terrorist activity and that we will take action where we believe there is harm being caused to communities here in the UK or elsewhere.”
The force said there is not thought to be any imminent threat to the public.
Ms Flanagan added: “This investigation and activity is about protecting all of our communities, but particularly those in our Turkish and Kurdish communities.
“I would urge anyone who thinks they may have been affected or targeted by those linked to the PKK to get in touch.
“We are also very mindful that closing the community centre may cause inconvenience to some people.
“Officers will be working as quickly as they can, but these are very serious allegations so it is important that we take care in identifying and gathering as much evidence as we can.”
The PKK is a separatist group that wants an independent Kurdish state in south-east Turkey, and has been banned in the UK since 2001.
It has been fighting against the Turkish state since the early 1980s.
Ishak Milani, of the Kurdish People’s Assembly in the UK, said: “We, the Kurdish community in London, strongly condemn the recent unjust and heavy-handed raid conducted by British police on our community spaces.
“This aggressive act is not only an attack on our people but also an affront to the principles of democracy, justice, and human rights that the UK claims to uphold.
“We demand accountability for this raid and a clear explanation for the actions taken.”