Turkey prepares to ask US to extradite ex-daily editor

By Zafer Fatih Beyaz and Kemal Karadag

ANKARA (AA) - A Turkish court in Ankara prepared Monday a request for the extradition from the U.S. of the former editor of a Turkish newspaper over alleged links to the Fethullah Terror Organization (FETO).

Ekrem Dumanli, former Zaman editor-in-chief, was spotted in a mall in New Jersey last year. He is accused of being among the senior members of the group, who was behind last July's attempted coup.

The request will be submitted to the Justice Ministry in order to be submitted to relevant U.S. authorities, a judicial source said.

The 4th High Criminal Court also prepared extradition requests for other fugitive suspects including Hamdullah Bayram Ozturk and Ahmet Kurucan -- who are believed to have fled to the U.S. -- and Abdullah Aymaz, who is believed to be in Germany.

The same court issued in January extradition requests for 24 fugitive suspects as part of the ongoing terror probe. The suspects are believed to have fled to 15 countries including the U.S., U.K., Israel, Germany, Belgium, Norway, Cambodia and Madagascar.

Zaman daily is affiliated with the U.S.-based preacher, Fetullah Gulen, who is accused by the Turkish government of being the mastermind of the defeated coup which left 248 people martyred. The newspaper's management was taken over last March.

Following the failed coup, which left nearly 2,200 others wounded, Turkey sent the U.S. an official request for Gulen’s extradition which is still pending.