Three PKK militants detained on anniversary of Atatürk’s death for bomb attack plan

Toygun Atilla – ISTANBUL

Three outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) militants were detained on Nov. 10, on the 77th anniversary of the death of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the founding father of the Republic of Turkey, for planning a bomb attack in the Aegean province of İzmir.

İzmir counter-terrorism police detained the three PKK militants, who had been followed since July, as they were heading to a forested area to collect explosives they had hidden there, including 17.5 kilograms of C-4 plastic explosives and 10 hand grenades.

İbrahim Ateş, one of the militants, had traveled to İzmir many times from southeastern Diyarbakır province for logistic preparations for the attack, while Mervan Aksoy and Barış İldem hid the explosives in the forested area, according to reports.

Meanwhile, authorities said the interrogation of the militants was continuing.