PKK violence nearly doubled in Germany, report shows
- World
- Agencies and A News
- Published Date: 11:08 | 27 June 2019
- Modified Date: 11:08 | 27 June 2019
Violent acts of the PKK terrorist group in Germany nearly doubled in 2018, according to a report released by the country's interior minister on Thursday.
In a press conference in Berlin unveiling the report, Horst Seehofer also said far-right acts have to be taken seriously, calling the numbers "alarming."
According to the report, while 2017 saw 28 far-right violent acts in Germany, in 2018 the number leaped to 48.
Violent acts in Germany by the terrorist PKK rose from 182 in 2017 to 355 in 2018, the report said.
The report added that the PKK carried out 1,187 illegal acts in Germany in 2017 but this rose to 1,928 in 2018.
It said that the number of PKK members in Germany was stable at 14,500, making it the strongest foreign organization in Germany with the most members.
The PKK raised more than €15 million in funds in 2018 in Germany and also raised €25 million in Europe, the report said.
In its more than 30-year terror campaign against Turkey, the PKK -- listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the U.S. and the EU -- has been responsible for the deaths of nearly 40,000 people, including many women and children.
The new report also provided numbers on the presence of far-left Turkey-based terror groups in Germany.
It said the DHKP-C has 650 members in Germany, while the TKP/ML has 1,350, and the MLKP has 600.
The DHKP-C is responsible for a number of terror attacks in Turkey, including a 2013 attack on the U.S. Embassy in Ankara which martyred a Turkish security guard.
The group is listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the U.S., and the EU.