Australian Nurse Detained in Turkey for Alleged Terror Offenses

September 24, 2024 TruthUSA

An Australian nurse, aged 51, was apprehended at Istanbul Airport on charges of affiliation with the Marxist terrorist organization known as the PKK.

An Australian nurse, accused of being linked to the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), was arrested in Turkey while attempting to board a flight back home from Istanbul Airport.

The PKK is recognized as a Kurdish militant political faction and is classified as a terrorist group by various nations and entities, including Australia, Turkey, the United States, and the European Union.

The Australian government designates the PKK as an ideologically driven, violent extremist group that seeks to dominate Kurdish political power by targeting the interests of rival political parties.

Founded in 1978, the PKK is rooted in Marxist and Leninist principles and is estimated to have caused over 40,000 fatalities.

The leader and founder of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, Abdullah Ocalan, is currently serving a life sentence in Turkey.

According to The Daily Sabah, the Australian woman detained at the airport was identified as Cigdem Aslan.

The report alleges that she engaged in activities on behalf of the PKK in Australia and maintained contact with senior members of the organization.

The 51-year-old holds an Australian passport under the name Lenna Aslan.

As per The Daily Sabah, Aslan served as co-chair of a PKK-affiliated group in Australia and actively participated in events organized in Melbourne, where she purportedly represented the terrorist group.

The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade is extending consular aid to Aslan while she remains in custody in Turkey.

“Due to privacy obligations, we are unable to provide further details,” stated a department spokesperson.

Sue Bolton, a Socialist Alliance councilor in Merri-bek, Melbourne, expressed support for Aslan, whom she described as a close friend and nurse, in an interview with The Sydney Morning Herald.

She also mentioned being informed of another Australian individual’s arrest in connection with the same group following Aslan’s apprehension.

In November 2023, Bolton gained attention for proposing the flying of the Palestinian flag over the Merri-bek council chambers in northern Melbourne, shortly after the Hamas, a designated terrorist group, assaulted Israel, resulting in the deaths and abductions of over 1,000 Israelis.

Incidents Attributed to the PKK

As per the Australian government, the PKK has been linked to numerous incidents, including an event on September 12, 2019, where seven civilians perished and 10 were injured due to an explosive device detonation in southeastern Turkey, with the PKK claiming it targeted alleged “spies.”

In another occurrence on March 31, 2020, a suicide bombing damaged a natural gas pipeline between Turkey and Iran, leading to the deaths of at least 30 Turkish soldiers guarding the facility, an act claimed by the PKK.

Lastly, on October 28, 2020, the PKK launched an attack destroying an oil pipeline in Turkey’s Mardin province.

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