Germany treats PKK as terrorist group, says spy chief

BERLIN (AA) – Germany’s domestic intelligence chief on Thursday vowed continued measures against activities by the PKK terror group in his country.

“The PKK is treated as a terrorist organization in Europe and Germany,” Hans-Georg Maassen, president of domestic intelligence agency (BfV), told a small group of foreign journalists in Berlin.

“There is nothing to indicate that there will now be a new assessment on that,” he said as he voiced concerns about recent tensions between PKK terrorists and members of Turkish community in Germany.

“The security situation in Germany regarding the PKK activities is closely related to the situation in Turkey,” he said.

Maassen noted that since the "political process to stop the PKK violence in southern Turkey derailed", tensions has also increased on Germany’s streets.

The PKK -- listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the U.S., and EU -- resumed its armed campaign against Turkey in July 2015 and since then has been responsible for the deaths of approximately 1,100 security personnel and civilians, including women and children.

Germany, which hosts a 3 million-member Turkish community, outlawed the PKK in 1993 but the group is still active in the country.

The PKK has more than 14,000 followers in Germany among the Kurdish migrant population, according to BfV reports.

The group raised more than €13 million ($14.3 million) in 2015, according to the BfV estimates.