Turkey expects suspect in 2002 killing to be extradited

Turkey expects Ukraine to extradite a fugitive wanted for allegedly murdering a Turkish scholar who was researching the terror group FETÖ, Turkey’s justice minister said on Wednesday.

Speaking to reporters in the Turkish capital Ankara, Abdulhamit Gul said Turkish officials are working for the extradition of the suspect Nuri Gokhan B. from Ukraine, where he was arrested last week.

“Our expectation is the extradition of this person in line with international agreements."

Necip Hablemitoglu, known for his research and books on the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETÖ), was killed in 2002 in front of his house, but the murder was never solved.

In 2015, prosecutors in Turkey’s capital Ankara launched an investigation into FETÖ's involvement in unsolved murders in 2000-2013, including the killings of Behcet Oktay (2009), the head of Ankara police's special operations department, judge candidate Didem Yaylali (2013), and high court judge Mustafa Yucel Ozbilgin (2006).

FETÖ and its U.S.-based leader Fetullah Gulen orchestrated the defeated coup on July 15, 2016, which left 251 people martyred and nearly 2,200 injured.

Ankara also accuses FETÖ of being behind a long-running campaign to overthrow the state through the infiltration of Turkish institutions, particularly the military, police, and judiciary.