Six people charged in London with being members of proscribed terrorist group after Met raids
Six people have been charged with being members of a proscribed terrorist group after a series of Metropolitan Police raids in London.
The six suspects were charged on Monday after being arrested in connection with alleged activities linked to the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK).
The charges came after an extensive investigation by Met detectives, with all six individuals due to appear at Westminster Magistrates Court later today.
A seventh person who was initially arrested as part of the investigation has been released without charge.
Police have named the six charged suspects as:
- Turkan Ozcan, 59, from Edmonton
- Mazlum Sayak, 27, from South Woodford
- Berfin Kerban, 31, from Haggerston
- Ali Boyraz, 62, from Tottenham
- Ercan Akbal, 56, from Leyton
- Agit Karatas, 23, from Hackney
All six were charged under section 11 of the Terrorism Act 2000 with membership of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK).
A 31-year-old man who was previously arrested as part of the investigation was released without charge on Sunday.
After the arrests last week, police had clashed with protesters outside a Kurdish community centre in Harringay, who were heard chanting “Freedom for Ocalan” in reference to convicted PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan, currently serving a life sentence in Turkey.
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Four protestors were then arrested – but police said those arrests were not “directly connected to the investigation into the seven people arrested by the Counter Terrorism Command”.
Following today’s charges, the Met has issued a series of statements on the arrests’ “impact on the community”.
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.”
While 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.”