Sweden convicts a Kurdish man with attempting to extort money for a group that’s outlawed in Turkey

STOCKHOLM (AP) — A Turkish man has been found guilty of attempted aggravated extortion, weapons possession and attempted terrorist financing, saying he was acting on behalf of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party. On Thursday, a Swedish court sentenced Yahya Gungor to 4.5 years in prison, after which he would be expelled from Sweden and banned from returning. Swedish media said it was the first time that someone in Sweden was prosecuted for alleged terrorist financing of the party. Also known as PKK, it is considered a terrorist organization by Turkey and western nations. Turkey has refused to approve Sweden’s request to join NATO, accusing the Swedish government of not doing enough to crack down on PKK members.