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Italy arrests man linked to Turkish radicals

Italian police have arrested a Turkish national allegedly linked to a ultra-leftist group blamed for two recent deadly shootouts in Istanbul, the Agi news agency reported on Monday.

Published: 7 April 2015 08:37 CEST

Italy arrests man linked to Turkish radicals

Protesters from outlawed leftist group DHKP-C march in central Istanbul. Photo: Mustafa Ozer/AFP

Turkey had been seeking his extradition for an attack on a bank in Ankara in 1995.

The man, believed to be a member of Turkey's outlawed Marxist Revolutionary People's Liberation Party Front (DHKP-C), was arrested in Mestre, a port on the Adriatic Sea close to Venice, Agi said.

He is also accused of acting as a recruiter for DHKP-C, considered a terrorist group by Turkey, the European Union and the United States.

The Italian authorities must now decide on whether to allow his extradition to Turkey.

A bloody hostage standoff between the radical DHKP-C group and security forces left a top Istanbul prosecutor dead on Tuesday.

A day later, an armed woman linked to DHKP-C was killed by police as she tried to storm the city's police headquarters.

The Turkish authorities have rounded up over 30 suspected members of the organization since then.

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Erdogan calls French separatism bill 'guillotine' of democracy

Erdogan has already denounced the proposed measures as "anti-Muslim". Photo: Adem ALTAN/AFP

The draft legislation has been criticised both inside France and abroad for stigmatising Muslims and giving the state new powers to limit speech and religious groups.

“The adoption of this law, which is openly in contradiction of human rights, freedom of religion and European values, will be a guillotine blow inflicted on French democracy,” said Erdogan in a speech in Ankara.

The current version of the planned law would only serve the cause of extremism, putting NGOs under pressure and “forcing young people to choose between their beliefs and their education”, he added.

READ ALSO: What’s in France’s new law to crack down on Islamist extremism?

“We call on the French authorities, and first of all President (Emmanuel) Macron, to act sensibly,” he continued. “We expect a rapid withdrawal of this bill.”

Erdogan also said he was ready to work with France on security issues and integration, but relations between the two leaders have been strained for some time.

France’s government is in the process of passing new legislation to crack down on what it has termed “Islamist separatism”, which would give the state more power to vet and disband religious groups judged to be threats to the nation.

Erdogan has already denounced the proposed measures as “anti-Muslim”.

READ ALSO: Has Macron succeeded in creating an ‘Islam for France’?

Last October, Erdogan questioned Macron’s “mental health”, accusing him of waging a “campaign of hatred” against Islam, after the French president defended the right of cartoonists to caricature the prophet Mohammed.

The two countries are also at odds on a number of other issues, including Libya, Syria and the eastern Mediterranean.

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