Turkish man charged in Germany

Federal prosecutors in the central German city of Celle have charged a Turkish national with being a ringleader in Germany of the banned Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK, authorities said Friday.

Photo: Turkish man charged in Germany

Halil D., 36, was charged with being a member of a criminal organization, prosecutors said.

He allegedly served as a financial chief for the organization while living in Darmstadt from the beginning of 2000 until his arrest in October, according to a statement that did not identify the man's attorney.

The PKK has been fighting for autonomy in Turkey's predominantly Kurdish southeast since 1984. Some 37,000 people, mostly Kurds, have been killed as a result of the fighting.

German officials banned the organization in 1993. Turkey, the United States and the European Union list the PKK as a terrorist group, reports the AP.

I.L.