The Italian police announced on Wednesday the dismantling of a Turkish armed group "with terrorist objectives" and the arrest of 19 individuals, including a Kurdish-origin boss linked to recent attacks in Turkey.
According to a statement from the Milan prosecutor's office, the criminal group in Italy was linked to other foreign groups spread across Europe © Mena Today
The Italian police announced on Wednesday the dismantling of a Turkish armed group "with terrorist objectives" and the arrest of 19 individuals, including a Kurdish-origin boss linked to recent attacks in Turkey.
Hundreds of police officers were mobilized in Italy, Switzerland, Germany, and Turkey to arrest these Turkish nationals, who are part of an alleged criminal network "aiming to establish a terrorist organization to carry out attacks."
The group is also suspected of murders, international drug trafficking, and aiding illegal immigration, according to a police statement. The investigation involved a "complex" series of wiretaps and received assistance from Interpol.
Baris Boyun, 39, the leader of a gang suspected of murders in Turkey, was arrested by Italian and Turkish police in Viterbo, north of Rome, where he had been under house arrest since his initial arrest in August 2022 based on an international arrest warrant.
His extradition to Turkey was previously denied by an Italian court. In Turkey, Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya stated that 17 of those arrested were Turkish nationals, including Baris Boyun, and the other two were Italian.
In February, this gang was linked to an armed attack on an electoral meeting in Istanbul for the AKP party's mayoral candidate in the local elections on March 31.
The Turkish Interior Minister announced a major operation against this group in March, leading to the arrest of 13 people in the Tekirdag province (northwest) suspected of planning assassinations and armed attacks. Another eight individuals suspected of being part of this gang were arrested in April in Izmir, according to the minister.
According to a statement from the Milan prosecutor's office, the criminal group in Italy was "linked to other foreign groups spread across Europe," all "connected to each other and capable of providing mutual logistical support, including the supply of weapons and personnel."
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