By Kemal Karadag
ANKARA (AA) – Turkey has asked for the extradition of 419 fugitive members of Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO), the group behind the 2016 defeated coup in Turkey, according to the justice minister on Friday.
“To date, extradition of 419 FETO leaders and members have been requested from foreign countries,” Abdulhamit Gul told Anadolu Agency.
“Red notice requests are also issued for those whose whereabouts are not clear,” Gul added.
He said the extradition requests for the fugitives were prepared by the courts as part of the investigations into the terror group.
The requests were sent to the relevant countries via the Justice Ministry, he added.
FETO and its U.S.-based leader Fetullah Gulen orchestrated the defeated coup of July 15, 2016, 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, particularly the military, police, and judiciary.
He said Turkey has so far sent seven requests to the U.S. for extradition of FETO’s ringleader Gulen.
Gul stated that the requests for extradition and the evidence were in compliance with the agreements between the two countries and the law of extradition.
He added that fresh evidence against the terror group were also shared with the U.S.
“Our extradition requests are still held in the U.S. Department of Justice. At this point, our expectation is the initiation of a judicial process for extradition as soon as possible […]” he said.
Gulen has been living in self-imposed exile in Pennsylvania since 1999.
