Bulgaria extradites FETO member to Turkey

By Hakan Mehmet Sahin and Furkan Naci Top

EDIRNE, Turkey (AA) - Bulgaria on Wednesday extradited a Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO) member, Abdullah Buyuk, to Turkey, officials said.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, Turkish officials at the Bulgarian-Turkish border gate told Anadolu Agency that Buyuk was described as 'safe box' of the terrorist organization, held responsible for the failed coup on July 15.

Abdullah Buyuk escaped to Bulgaria after he was released from custody following a judicial control decision.

He had previously been detained in the anti-terror operations against FETO and Parallel State Structure's finance wing.

The suspect has been sent to the police department in the northwestern Turkish province of Edirne.

Separately, diplomatic sources said that two military attaches at the Turkish embassy in Athens disappeared on Wednesday after being called back within the scope of the FETO investigation by Turkey.

Staff Colonel Ilhan Yasitli and Naval Attache Colonel Halis Tunc have not been found and the Turkish General Staff has ordered them to surrender by Aug. 13.

Greek press has claimed the two military attaches escaped to Italy with their families.

Turkey's government said the defeated July 15 coup, which left 240 people martyred and nearly 2,200 injured, was organized by followers of Fetullah Gulen, who has lived in self-imposed exile in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania since 1999.

Gulen is accused of leading a long-running campaign to overthrow the state through the infiltration of Turkish institutions, particularly the military, police and judiciary, forming what is commonly known as the ‘parallel state’.

* Can Erozden contributed to this story from Ankara.