Turkey: 2 HDP lawmakers held in terror probe

By Cankut Tasdan, Sertac Bulur

ANKARA

Ankara police detained two lawmakers from Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) as part of a terror probe Monday night, according to a police source.

Opposition MPs Caglar Demirel -- HDP parliament leader -- and Besime Konca were detained in relation to a counter-terrorism investigation in the southeastern provinces of Diyarbakir and Batman, the source said on condition of anonymity due to restriction on speaking to the media.

The arrests come two days after Saturday evening's deadly blasts in Istanbul left 44 dead and dozens of others wounded.

At around 10.30 p.m. (1930GMT), a car bomb went off outside a football stadium in the city's Besiktas district, two hours after the end of a Turkish League football match. Seconds later, a suicide bomb attack occurred in Macka Park in the same neighborhood.

Last month, 13 HDP lawmakers were arrested, and ten of them, including HDP co-chairs Selahattin Demirtas and Figen Yuksekdag, remain in custody awaiting trial on terrorism-related charges.

The lawmakers face prosecution under anti-terrorism legislation after their parliamentary immunity was lifted earlier this year.

The government has accused the HDP of having links to the PKK, which is listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the U.S., and EU.