German police arrest two in PKK probe, seize guns and drugs
Taxi stop in Leipzig leads to weapons haul and drug bust as authorities examine possible terror links.
German police have arrested two men with suspected ties to the banned PKK terrorist organisation after seizing multiple unregistered firearms and more than a kilogramme of crystal methamphetamine in the eastern city of Leipzig.
The arrests followed a routine traffic stop on Saturday evening when officers pulled over a taxi and questioned a passenger identified as 23-year-old Numan K., according to Bild daily.
The suspect attempted to flee but was detained. Police reportedly found five unregistered 9mm pistols and ammunition in his bag.
A subsequent search of an apartment he shared with 56-year-old Metin B. uncovered additional illegal weapons and over one kilogramme of crystal meth.
Authorities are investigating whether the suspects had links to the PKK — banned in Germany since 1993 — and whether they may have been planning attacks.
The probe is examining Metin B.’s recent social media posts expressing support for the PKK and its Syrian affiliate, the YPG.
German security officials estimate that more than 15,000 PKK and YPG supporters are active in the country, where authorities say the group conducts extensive propaganda activities.
Türkiye — along with the European Union, the United States, and NATO — designates the PKK as a terrorist organisation, a group responsible for the death of more than 40,000 people.
The investigation remains ongoing.