Six people have been charged with being members of a banned Kurdish terrorist court and are due in court in London today.
The men, accused of belonging to the PKK group, were initially arrested on November 27 and the Criminal Prosecution Service has now authorised charges, the Metropolitan Police said today.
The six men; Turkan Ozcan, 59, of Edmonton, Mazlum Sayak, 27, of South Woodford, Berfin Kerban, 31, of Haggerston, Ali Boyraz, 62, of Tottenham, Ercan Akbal, 56 of Leyton, Agit Karatas, 23, of Hackney, are due to appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court today.
A 31-year-old man who had previously been arrested as part of this investigation was released from police custody without charge on Sunday, December 8.
Acting Commander, Helen Flanagan, from the Met’s Counter Terrorism Command, said: ‘We fully recognise the concern and impact this investigation has had upon the local community and we continue to work closely with local policing colleagues to keep them updated.
‘The charges brought about in this case are very serious and come about following an extensive investigation by our detectives. It is important that communities right across London know that where we suspect any kind of potential terrorist activity, then we will look to investigate and take action to disrupt that in order to keep everybody safe.’
Detective Chief Superintendent Caroline Haines, who leads local policing for the Haringey area, said: ‘I would like to thank members of the local community for their patience while this investigation has been carried out – especially those from the Kurdish community, whom I know have been particularly impacted by this activity.
‘We will continue to engage with Kurdish community members going forwards to keep them updated and address any concerns.
‘Additional patrols will remain ongoing in the affected areas over the coming days and I would ask that if you still have any concerns, then please get in touch with me or my local officers so that we can work with you to keep everyone safe.’
This is a breaking news story. More to follow…