US State Department approves Türkiye's extradition request for hit-and-run suspect

By Cahit Oktay

NEW YORK (AA) - The US State Department has determined that new information provided by Türkiye regarding one of the suspects connected with a hit-and-run accident in Istanbul, Eylem Tok, is sufficient for her extradition, according to a letter released this week.

Dated Tuesday and written by Tom Heinemann, an attorney advisor with the State Department, the letter addressed Kristen Kearney, Assistant United States Attorney at the US Attorney's Office for the District of Massachusetts.

"Based on new information informally received from the Government of Turkey, the State Department has determined that both offenses for which Turkey originally requested Eylem Tok's extradition meet the relevant requirements under the applicable extradition treaty between the United States and Turkey,” Heinemann said in the letter.

According to the letter, the department initially assessed that only the charge of protecting an offender should be forwarded to the court for its consideration.

"However, the new information provided by Turkey in support of its request is sufficient for the Department to forward the offense of destroying, concealing or altering evidence to the court for consideration as well," it said.

“Accordingly, after Turkey formally submits the new information to the Department through diplomatic channel, as required by the treaty, I anticipate signing a new declaration in this case, making clear that the Department believes that both offenses in the original Turkish request are extraditable offenses under the treaty,” said the letter.

The hearing of Tok in Boston was reportedly adjourned for a second time to July 1.

On June 14, Tok and her son Timur Cihantimur were arrested by US authorities at the request of Türkiye and days later appeared in a court in Boston, Massachusetts.

Türkiye requested Tok's extradition from the US on charges of "harboring or concealing persons."

On March 1, three all-terrain vehicles (ATVs) were traveling in Istanbul’s Eyupsultan district when one of them broke down. Cihantimur, who was driving his parents’ SUV without a license, crashed into the three ATVs, injuring five people. One of them, Oguz Murat Aci, later succumbed to his injuries.

Cihantimur left the scene of the accident with his mother in her vehicle and travelled to Egypt and then to the US.

Temporary arrest request documents for their extradition were forwarded to US authorities by Türkiye’s Justice Ministry.