Turkey: 1 suspected PKK terrorist detained in Izmir

By Mustafa Yildirim

IZMIR, Turkey

Security forces on Thursday detained 69 migrants planning to illegally travel to Greek islands, according to a gendarmerie source.

In Menderes district of the Aegean Izmir province, when gendarmerie forces stopped two trucks, they found 58 Syria nationals and 11 Afghan nationals, said the source, who asked not to be named due to restrictions on speaking to the media.

Twenty life vests and one inflatable boat were also in the trucks.

The truck drivers were detained and fined 8,319 Turkish lira ($2,330). They were later remanded in custody on human trafficking charges.

- One suspected terrorist among migrants

The source said one of the migrants, age 28, was found with an identity card of the PKK terrorist group.

In the suspect’s bag, the gendarmerie found two cellphones, four external hard drives, and money in the form of €2,250 and $100.

More than 1,200 people, including security force personnel and civilians, have lost their lives since the PKK -- listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the U.S., and EU -- resumed its decades-old armed campaign in July 2015.