Mustafa Alpaslan and Zeynel Abidin Bozkurt, the deputy mayors of the eastern district of Diyadin, were detained on Thursday along with 9 others for “being member of a terrorist organization” and “aiding and abetting a terrorist organization.”
The operation was launched by an Ağrı prosecutor. A total of 25 people were detained on Wednesday in synchronized police raids in the provinces of Erzincan, Iğdır, İzmir and Aydın as part of the operation. Out of the 25 detainees, 11, including Alpaslan and Bozkurt, were later arrested on court order.
According to a statement issued by the Ağrı Governor’s Office, the suspects are accused of being in touch with the terrorist Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) members and supplying weapons and other material for them, as well as recruiting for the PKK.
Among the arrestees were Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) District Co-Chair Sevgi İlboğa, Diyadin HDP municipal board member Mesut Arslan and Atayolu village head Faruk Yıldız.