Italy captures PKK terrorist linked to TUSAŞ attack

ROME

Italian authorities apprehended PKK terrorist Velat Çetinkaya in Rome, identified as one of the suspects in the deadly October attack in Turkish capital Ankara, according to reports in Turkish and Italian media.

The 50-year-old terrorist was caught in Campino, approximately 30 kilometers from Rome, under a search warrant issued two years prior. German authorities accused Çetinkaya of terrorism, leading to an arrest order from a Stuttgart court in 2022.

Police captured Çetinkaya in a short-term rental apartment typically leased to tourists. His whereabouts came to light following intensified checks on hotels and guesthouses, implemented in the wake of the attack on aerospace and defense company TUSAŞ in Ankara on Oct. 23, the police sources said.

The attack killed five people and left 22 others injured.

Çetinkaya has been transferred to Rome’s Regina Coeli prison. A police spokesperson disclosed that the operation was conducted in collaboration with agents from the International Police Cooperation Organization.

Authorities are investigating Çetinkaya's activities and possible affiliations during his time in Rome, as well as the extent of any assistance he may have received.

Turkish media reported that Çetinkaya is among the key suspects linked to the TUSAŞ attack, although his precise role remains unspecified.

Armed with assault rifles, two terrorist arrived at the premises in a taxi they commandeered after killing its driver. They set off explosives and opened fire.

Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya identified them as members of PKK, which is designated as a terror group by Türkiye, the United States and the European Union.

In response to the attack, Türkiye escalated military operations against PKK targets in Iraq and Syria. Security forces struck military, intelligence, energy and infrastructure facilities, state-run Anadolu Agency has said.

TUSAŞ designs, manufactures and assembles civilian and military aircraft, unmanned aerial vehicles and other defense industry and space systems.