Over 100 criminals from 32 countries extradited to Turkey in 2017, security officials say

Over 100 criminals who fled to 32 countries were extradited to Turkey in 2017, as part of police's coordinated efforts with the Interpol, according to security sources.

The Security General Directorate's Interpol-Europol Department also had 81 people extradited in 2016 and 91 in 2015.

The highest number of convicts, 17, were extradited from Germany. Georgia followed with 13 extraditions, Azerbaijan with 11 and the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) with 10.

Bulgaria, Romania, Saudi Arabia, and Ukraine extradited four criminals each.

Also, some 21 suspects were extradited to Turkey, including three from Azerbaijan and Spain, two from the U.K., Tajikistan and Sweden and one from Bulgaria, Kazakhstan, France, Morocco, Macedonia, Paraguay, Austria, Germany and Serbia.

Eleven of the suspects were accused of being members of the Gülenist Terror Group (FETÖ), while 23 were accused of drug-smuggling and two suspects were accused of terror charges.

For the first time, Peru, Kosovo, Montenegro, Myanmar, Thailand, Malaysia, and China each extradited one suspect wanted for trafficking and terror charges.

Ankara criticizes European countries and the U.S. for failing to extradite top FETÖ figures and terrorist members. Relations with Germany have specifically been negatively affected, as the former has become a safe haven for top fugitive FETÖ figures who fled Turkey following the coup attempt.

Turkish police also made possible the extradition of senior FETÖ members from one each from Malaysia, Northern Cyprus, Thailand and Bahrain, and two PKK terrorists each from Lebanon and Syria.

FETÖ and its U.S.-based leader Fetullah Gülen orchestrated the defeated coup on July 15, 2016, which left 250 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.

Several others were extradited from Turkey, including seven alleged drug traffickers and four accused of murder.

The PKK is listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey as well as the U.S. and EU. In its more than three-decade terror campaign against Turkey, more than 40,000 people have been killed.