Justice Minister Yılmaz Tunç announced that a U.S. court has ruled for the extradition of fugitive writer Eylem Tok and her son Timur Cihantimur to Türkiye following their arrest after a fatal traffic accident in Istanbul.
“Following the fatal and injurious traffic accident in Eyüpsultan, Istanbul, an investigation was launched, and the suspects Eylem Tok and Timur Cihantimur, who fled Türkiye to the United States, were arrested and detained in the U.S. under our extradition request. The Massachusetts District Court has now ruled for their extradition to our country,” Tunç said on X.
He further noted that Türkiye would continue to take all necessary steps to ensure their extradition to Türkiye to ensure justice.
There was an uproar in Türkiye after 17-year-old Timur Cihantumur, who was driving his parents' luxury SUV without a driver's license, crashed into three ATVs near the Eyüpsultan district, injuring five people, one of whom (Oğuz Murat Aci) later succumbed to his injuries.
Cihantimur left the scene after the accident after his mother Tok came to pick him up and they both went to Istanbul Airport around 2 a.m. to fly to Egypt. They then headed to the U.S., where they were detained by authorities.
Subsequent investigations have exposed a series of deceitful actions by Tok, including tampering with evidence and fabricating her literary success.
It has been disclosed that Tok's supposed biography, which portrays her as a prolific writer, poetess, screenwriter and director, is a work of fiction itself.
Allegations voiced on social media by journalist Mustafa Tanyeri suggest that she did not write the books attributed to her and that her claim of having a bestselling novel, "Mihr," was a complete fabrication.
Interpol approved Türkiye's request to issue a Red Notice for the duo in May.
Türkiye and the U.S. signed the Extradition and Mutual Assistance in Criminal Matters treaty in 1979 to extradite suspects under prosecution or charged with an offense, convicted of an offense, or for the enforcement of a judicially pronounced penalty for an offense committed within the territory of the country making the extradition request.
