Kemal Karadag
27 March 2019•Update: 27 March 2019
ANKARA
A total of 107 FETO terror group members who fled to abroad have been brought to Turkey so far, the country’s justice minister said on Wednesday.
Speaking to Anadolu Agency in the capital Ankara, Abdulhamit Gul said that Turkey has requested extradition of 504 people from 91 countries.
“The number of FETO members brought to Turkey [so far] has been 107,” Gul said.
Gul also recalled that Turkey has sent seven requests to the U.S. to extradite the ringleader of Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO) Fetullah Gulen, a longtime resident of Pennsylvania.
Turkey met the judicial cooperation requests by the U.S. over the FETO probe in Turkey and extraditions, he added.
“Whatever necessary for the extradition of Gulen has been completed in all aspects, in accordance with extradition law. From now time, whatever actually needs to happen is extradition to be performed,” he said.
In his interview, the justice minister said that they requested an appointment to meet with William Barr, the recently appointed U.S. Attorney General, to discuss judicial cooperation between Turkey and the U.S.
“Following the elections, we will have the opportunity to discuss [with Barr] these face to face,” he added.
FETO and its leader Gulen orchestrated the defeated coup of July 15, 2016 in Turkey, which left 251 people martyred and nearly 2,200 injured.
Ankara also accuses FETO of being behind a long-running campaign to overthrow the state through the infiltration of Turkish institutions, including the military, police and the judiciary.
Writing by Nilay Kar
