UK: PYD/PKK member charged with terror offences

By Ahmet Gurhan Kartal

LONDON (AA) – A British man who had joined PYD/PKK terror organization was charged with terror offences on Friday.

Aidan James, 27, was held at Liverpool Airport earlier this week as he was returning from Syria.

James was charged with one count of perpetrating acts of terrorism, and two counts of attendance at a place used for terrorist training.

Earlier this week, another British man, Jim Matthews appeared in front of a British court after being charged with similar offences due to his previous activities alongside with the PYD/PKK in Syria.

The court held his passport and ordered him to stay at his current address until hearing for the case resumes.

A report by London-based think tank Henry Jackson Society published last year, profiled 60 foreign fighters who joined terror group YPG/PKK in Syria from 12 countries, saying that around 80 percent of them come from English-speaking countries.

The report “The Forgotten Fighters: The PKK in Syria” warned that Britons who join the terrorist group could lead to a diplomatic crisis with Turkey, a NATO ally, urging British authorities to distance themselves from the group.

It also recommended that the YPG -- the PYD’s armed wing -- should be added to U.K.'s list of alternate names of the banned PKK terrorist organization, so the anti-terror law could be applied to activities under this name.

Although the U.K. has listed the PKK as a terrorist organization since 2001, the PYD/PKK -- its Syrian off-shoot -- is not on the list.

In its 30-year terrorist campaign against Turkey, the PKK has taken some 40,000 lives, including those of women and children.