Turkish Interior Minister Süleyman Soylu on Monday vowed to detain and deport tourists at airports if they are suspected of links to terrorism.
Addressing a rally in the run-up to local elections on March 31, Soylu, a critic-turned-supporter of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, said it would no longer be possible to act like a traitor overseas by attending events of terrorist organizations targeting Turkey such as the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) and then come and enjoy vacation resorts in the country.
His remarks in Sakarya province were reported by Turkeypurge.com with a video subtitled in English. Soylu has been targeting members of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) in particular at election rallies.
In addition to the PKK, the government often accuses the HDP of supporting terrorism, jailing its local and national officials.