STOCKHOLM: A Turkish citizen appeared in a Swedish court on Tuesday accused of “attempted terrorist financing” of the pro-Kurdish PKK, a first in the Scandinavian country seeking Ankara’s approval to join NATO.
Turkiye has accused Sweden of being a haven for “terrorists,” especially members of the PKK, and has asked Stockholm to extradite dozens of people.
The accused, in his 40s, was arrested in January after making threats and firing a gun outside a restaurant in Stockholm.
Prosecutors say the man’s aim was to extort money and use it to finance the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), which is classified as a terrorist organization by Turkiye, as well as Sweden, the EU and Washington.
“It is possible that (my client) has had contacts with people linked to the PKK, but he himself has no ties” to the movement, the man’s lawyer Ilhan Aydin told the court on Tuesday.
“My client rejects the accusations of aggravated extortion and attempting to fund (the PKK), but would accept a weapons charge,” Aydin told AFP on the eve of the trial.
The prosecutor meanwhile argued that the man played a key role in PKK activities in Sweden.
According to the charge sheet, which also references evidence from French and German intelligence, the man had been in contact with people directly involved in funding the PKK and had acted on the group’s behalf.
Sweden tightened its anti-terrorism legislation in July last year, making it easier to prosecute financing activities for terrorist organizations.
This is the first time that the new law, already used in cases linked to the Islamic State organization, has been used against an alleged PKK supporter.
Ending two centuries of neutrality and military non-alignment, Sweden and neighboring Finland announced bids to join NATO in May last year after Russia invaded Ukraine.
Turkiye and Hungary are the only NATO member states yet to ratify the Sweden’s bid — which requires unanimous approval.