A Bulgarian court on Wednesday ruled for the extradition of Mustafa Levent Göktaş, a former soldier implicated in a 2002 murder associated with the Gülenist Terror Group (FETÖ).
Göktaş was at large after a Turkish court charged him with involvement in the assassination of academic Necip Hablemitoğlu. Türkiye has issued a Red Notice for his capture. In September, he was captured in Bulgaria. Three days after his capture, Türkiye sent an extradition request for Göktaş, on charges of homicide and being a member of a criminal network. A lower court in Bulgaria rejected an extradition request earlier.
Hablemitoğlu, known for his exposé of FETÖ and a book detailing shady activities of German nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) in Türkiye, was shot dead outside his home on Dec. 18, 2002. Culprits of the murder have remained elusive for years. Nuri Gökhan Bozkır, a former officer like Göktaş, was found in Ukraine and extradited to Türkiye in January, speeding up the stalled investigation. Six suspects were detained in February for their links to Bozkır, primarily former officers. Three of them were later released, while two others were arrested, and another suspect was released with judiciary control, these measures restrict the movement of a suspect without imprisonment.
