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Turkey detains 118 opposition HDP members over suspected PKK links

Xinhua, December 12, 2016 Adjust font size:

A total of 118 officials of Turkey's opposition Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) were detained early on Monday as part of a counter-terror probe, Hurriyet Daily News reported.

They were charged with having links with the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) and conducting terror propaganda.

Police carried out anti-terror operations in five Turkish provinces, including Istanbul and Ankara, and raided the offices of HDP.

In Istanbul, HDP's provincial head Aysel Guzel, as well as district-level party heads, were among the detained.

The latest raid followed two explosions that rocked central Istanbul late Saturday and killed 44 people and wounded 155 others.

The Kurdistan Freedom Hawks, a Kurdish militant group linked to the PKK, claimed responsibility for deadly attacks.

A total of 13 suspects linked to the bombings have been arrested so far.

The government accuses the HDP of having links to the PKK, which is listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the U.S., and the European Union. Endit