02 August 2017•Update: 03 August 2017
By Ekrem Payan
SIRNAK, Turkey
A French national has been remanded in custody for allegedly assisting a terrorist organization, a security official said Wednesday.
The man was arrested on July 26 at the Habur border crossing near the Turkish city of Silopi. He was crossing from Iraq to Turkey.
He was detained by border guards after images of him with members of the Syria-based PKK/PYD terror group were found, the official said on condition of anonymity due to restrictions on speaking to the media.
The Iraqi side of the crossing lies around 20 kilometers (12 miles) from Iraq’s western border with Syria, where the PKK/PYD controls territory.
Groups linked to the PKK/PYD -- the Syrian affiliate of the PKK, designated a terrorist group by Turkey, the EU and U.S. -- are also active in northwestern Iraq.
A local government official, who also declined to be named due to restrictions on dealing with the media, gave the suspect’s name as Laup Jean Rene Bureau.
A Twitter account in a similar name purported belongs to a young journalism student based in Cairo and Brussels who has worked with French, German and English language media outlets.
He appeared in court in provincial capital Sirnak on Tuesday.
The security official said material including interviews and photographs with PKK/PYD members was found among the man’s possessions. A video entitled “List of weapon distribution” was also discovered.
Although Turkey has listed the PKK/PYD as a terror group, the U.S. has allied with it to fight Daesh in Syria.
