ERBIL, Kurdistan Region — Turkish intelligence has captured an alleged member of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) in “northern Iraq” and returned him to Turkey, according to state media.
Turkish state-owned Anadolu Agency (AA) reported on Friday that the National Intelligence Organization (MIT) captured Ferhat Tekiner, wanted by Turkish police for involvement in the 2016 Kayseri explosion which killed 15 police officers and wounded 54 others.
AA did not specify where in northern Iraq - which could refer to the Kurdistan Region or disputed areas like Kirkuk or Nineveh - Tekiner was captured. However, his mother had told police that her son had fled to Sulaimani province.
Tekiner is accused of aiding the perpetrator of a deadly explosion against Turkish army in Kayseri province in 2016, according to state media.
Sulaimani police told Rudaw English that they were not aware of the operation. The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) was unavailable for comment.
According to AA, Tekiner is accused of stealing a bus for Kenan Cicek, who then drove the bus and detonated a bomb on the vehicle on December 17, 2016.
At the time of the explosion, Turkish media reported that the off-duty military personnel onboard had played a significant role in anti-PKK military operations.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan immediately blamed the PKK for the attack, saying it was related to developments in Iraq and Syria, where Ankara regularly targets the PKK and others it says are affiliated to the group.
“We know that these attacks we are being subjected to are not independent from the developments in our region, especially in Iraq and Syria,” he said on the day of the explosion.
The PKK is an armed group struggling for the increased political and cultural rights of Kurds in Turkey. It has clashed with the Turkish state since 1984. Ankara considers it a terrorist organization and has carried out military operations against the group within Turkey and abroad.
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