Turkey announced Wednesday that it has captured 56 high-priority criminals wanted by 18 nations for crimes ranging from drug trafficking and money laundering to murder, forgery, and assault.
The suspects, according to Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya, were put on Interpol’s “red notice” on “diffusion message” systems, which highlight criminals sought for arrest and extradition by particular countries.
On December 14, a Turkish Traffic Police officer poses next to a converted Ferrari 488 GTB police vehicle on exhibit in Istanbul’s Hagia Sophia Square.
The detained people were wanted in the United States, Germany, India, and several former Soviet republics as well as other parts of Asia and the Middle East.
Yerlikaya’s office did not disclose names, noting only that the suspects were rounded up in coordinated security sweeps across 11 provinces, including Istanbul.
The Turkish interior ministry and MIT intelligence service have announced a rapid series of high-profile raids in recent weeks.
They announced the detention of more than 200 people allegedly linked to Islamic State group jihadists in two separate series of raids ahead of New Year celebrations.
They announced the detention of 34 people accused of spying for Israel on Tuesday.
Yerlikaya is seen as a close and ambitious political ally of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, announcing major arrests since his appointment last year.
He has ruled himself out of running as mayor of Istanbul in high-stakes elections set for March 31, preferring to keep his post as interior minister.
