Pakistan deports FETÖ suspect

Mesut Kaçmaz, former head of a Pakistani school run by the Gülenist Terror Group (FETÖ), was deported to Turkey where he is wanted on terror charges, media outlets reported Monday. Kaçmaz and his family were "abducted" in the country last month according to Gülenists, but Usama Malik, a lawyer for Kaçmaz, told Agence France-Presse (AFP) that the man and his wife were deported, while a friend of the family told the news agency that the Turkish police had flown to Pakistan to take the couple into custody.

Pakistan, a close ally of Turkey, has ordered the shutdown of schools in Pakistan run by FETÖ. Last November, the country also deported dozens of Turkish staff charged by Turkey with FETÖ links.

FETÖ is accused of orchestrating multiple coup attempts in Turkey, and its members face terror charges. The group, which long posed as a religious charity, runs a global network of schools and companies spanning the United States to Asia. Turkey has renewed its efforts for extradition of FETÖ suspects from abroad following last year's coup attempt. In May, Malaysia deported three suspects linked to the terrorist group.

High-ranking members of the terrorist group, including its leader Fetullah Gülen, were already abroad, while those in the lower ranks fled the country after it failed at the brutal putsch bid. The Interpol liaison office of the Turkish police is spearheading efforts to bring back FETÖ members from abroad.

The "cross-border" fight against FETÖ involves efforts by the Foreign and Justice ministries in cooperation with police and intelligence services. The ministries have pursued intense diplomatic efforts, presenting evidence of the terrorist group's involvement in the coup attempt.