Aussie woman arrested over terror offences in Turkey
An Australian woman accused of being a member of an Australian terrorist cell has been locked up in a Turkish prison.
Victoria
Don't miss out on the headlines from Victoria. Followed categories will be added to My News.
An Australian woman has been locked up in a Turkish prison accused of being a member of an Australian terrorist cell.
Lenna Aslan, who goes by the name Çiğdem Aslan, has been arrested over alleged ties to the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, otherwise known as the PKK.
The PKK has been described as a terrorist organisation by many countries including Australia, the US and the UK. Since the 1970s, PKK has been fighting for an independent Kurdish state.
Ms Aslan was arrested on Saturday in a joint operation by Türkiye’s National Intelligence Organisation and Istanbul’s Police’s Counterterrorism Unit as she prepared to board a flight from Istanbul to Australia.
She is alleged to have been a member of an Australian terrorist cell linked to the PKK.
Ms Aslan is expected to be charged imminently in relation to terror offences.
It’s understood Ms Aslan had been under surveillance prior to her arrest.
The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade told this masthead it was “providing consular assistance to an Australian woman detained in Türkiye. Owing to our privacy obligations we are unable to provide further comment.”
Ms Aslan’s LinkedIn profile says she is open to work and describes herself as a “human rights activist, migrant, bilingual community health educator, passionate about community works.”
She has been working as a bilingual community health educator for the Multicultural Centre for Women’s Health in Melbourne for the past two and a half years.
Her profile on that site says she is a single mother of two daughters who came to Australia 25 years ago as a Kurdish Migrant from Turkey.
Ms Aslan has previously spoken on behalf of the Kurdistan Women’s League of Victoria.
More Coverage
Originally published as Aussie woman arrested over terror offences in Turkey
VCE students burn books in fiery end to controversial exam period
Year 12 students have set fire to their uniforms and books while lashing out at the exam authority following the leaked questions scandal.
Final moments of slain teen captured on CCTV, police allege
The final moments of Isla Bell’s life were captured on CCTV through the window of her accused killer’s apartment before her body was put in a fridge, police allege.
Victoria goes backwards in economic marker
Despite Treasurer Tim Pallas’ boast that the state’s economy is “powering ahead”, latest Australian Bureau of Statistics data paints a very different picture.
‘Data’, performance to be key in review of students’ marks after VCE exam leaks
More detail has been released about how students’ marks will be reviewed in the wake of the VCE exam leaks as yet another embarrassing leak was revealed.
Allan govt diverts $40m from road safety program to speed cameras
The cash-strapped state government is under fire after it diverted more than $40m from Victoria’s road safety program to spend on extra speed cameras.
Winemaking brothers to face five-day court hearing
Two brothers will face court in Melbourne after being accused of defrauding more than $20 million during a six-year period.