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Serkan Kurtuluş arrested after being extradited to Türkiye
Serkan Kurtuluş, wanted in Türkiye under a Red Notice for 33 offenses, was extradited from Argentina and brought to Istanbul, where his statement was taken via the Audio and Video Information System (SEGBİS). At the prosecutor’s request, the court ordered Kurtuluş’s arrest on the grounds of the existing evidence and the risk of flight.
Serkan Kurtuluş, who was wanted in Türkiye under a Red Notice for 33 offenses, including premeditated murder, intentional homicide, establishing an organization for the purpose of committing crimes, threats and armed robbery, was brought to Istanbul after the extradition proceedings were completed.
Kurtuluş’s initial statement was taken through the Audio and Video Information System (SEGBİS) as part of an indictment prepared by the İzmir Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office in 2017 and accepted by the İzmir 3rd High Criminal Court.
Kurtuluş said he had lived abroad for approximately 10 years. He stated that he had been held in detention for six years and two months in Argentina and eight months in Georgia in connection with the current case, and claimed that he had no knowledge of the charges or the subject of the case.
Arguing that detention under Türkiye’s criminal laws could not exceed five years, Kurtuluş said he had spent a total of seven years in detention abroad and requested to be tried without being detained.
The public prosecutor requested Kurtuluş’s arrest on the grounds of the existing evidence, the charges against him and the risk of flight. The court panel also ruled that he should be arrested, citing the fact that he had been a fugitive since the investigation stage and that there was strong evidence indicating that he had committed the offense.
He was arrested in Argentina
Kurtuluş was arrested in Argentina on June 11, 2020, while he was the subject of a Red Notice in Türkiye for numerous offenses. His asylum application in Argentina, filed to prevent his extradition to Türkiye, was rejected, but the extradition process could not be completed for a long time because of the legal proceedings.
Kurtuluş went on a hunger strike while he was in prison. After the Argentine authorities approved his extradition to Türkiye, international coordination began. Kurtuluş was taken into custody from the Argentine authorities and brought to Türkiye under the escort of a Turkish team on a flight that departed from Buenos Aires and stopped in São Paulo.
After being handed over to law enforcement officers at Istanbul Airport, Kurtuluş was first taken to the Istanbul Airport Police Branch Directorate and then to the Istanbul Police Department.
During the extradition process, while the aircraft was waiting in Brazil, Kurtuluş allegedly shouted in Spanish that there was a bomb on board. The attempt to have the aircraft evacuated was unsuccessful, and the extradition continued after the necessary security measures were taken.
The search began in 2017
The international search for Kurtuluş began on October 31, 2017, when a Red Notice was issued. During the process, coordinated efforts were carried out by the General Directorate of Security’s Interpol-Europol Department, the Anti-Smuggling and Organized Crime and Intelligence Directorates, and the Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Justice.
The charges for which Kurtuluş was wanted included premeditated murder, intentional homicide, establishing an organization for the purpose of committing crimes, armed robbery by multiple people to provide benefits to a criminal organization, and repeated threats carried out by exploiting the organization’s intimidating power.
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