German national arrested for trying to cross into Syria to join YPG/PKK
Patrick Kraicker, a 28 old German national, has been detained by Turkish secuirty forces for wanting to cross into Syria to join the PKK's Syrian off-shoot YPG.
- World
- Reuters
- Published Date: 12:00 | 28 March 2018
- Modified Date: 01:23 | 28 March 2018
A German national who was trying to cross into Syria from Turkey has been arrested by Turkish authorities over alleged links to the YPG/PKK terror group, the state-run Anadolu news agency said.
In a report citing security officials on Tuesday, Anadolu said Patrick Kraicker, 28, was detained on March 14 in the Silopi district of the southeastern province of Şırnak.
During his questioning, Kraicker said he wanted to cross into Syria to join the PKK's Syrian off-shoot YPG, according to Anadolu.
Ankara considers the PYD, and its YPG armed group, to be extensions of the PKK which has been waging a three-decade terror campaign against Turkish state.
Anadolu said Kraicker was later arrested for "aiding and abetting a terrorist organisation".
Turkish forces and their rebel allies launched an offensive against the YPG in northern Syria's Afrin region in January and took over the town of Afrin 10 days ago.