Highbury student, 18, faces terrorism charges
Silhan Ozcelik, 18, from the Highbury Quadrant Estate, faces terrorism charges - Credit: Archant
Sixth former accused of making plans to battle jihadi group ISIS
A Highbury student accused of planning to go overseas to battle terror group ISIS appeared at the Old Bailey today.
Silhan Ozcelik, 18, of the Highbury Quadrant Estate, went missing from her family’s home last October, when she was just 17.
Using the Eurostar, she travelled with another male on to Stuttgart, Germany where the Kurdish Workers’ Party (PKK) youth movement have its headquarters.
The teenager, who is of Kurdish heritage, was detained at Stansted Airport, Essex, after she arrived on a flight from Germany on January 16.
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Ozcelik is charged with preparing to carry out a terrorist attack and remanded in custody.
The Kurdistan Workers’s Party (PKK) is a Kurdish rebel organisation founded in 1978, originally fighting for self-determination and political rights for Kurds in Turkey.
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More recently PKK have been fighting to relieve Kurdish enclaves, such as Kobani in Syria, which has come under attack from ISIS.
PKK is listed as a terrorist organisation by NATO, the United States and the European Union.
Ozcelik was remanded in custody by Mr Justice Sweeney and is due to enter pleas to the allegations on June 12.
Her trial date is set for September 7.
Ozcelik, of Highbury Quadrant Estate, Highbury, is accused of one count of engaging in preparation for terrorist activity.
