Albania issues arrest warrant for FETO fugitive

By Fatjon Cuka and Dzihat Aliju

TIRANA, Albania

An arrest warrant was issued Thursday for a Turkish fugitive in Durres city for allegedly belonging to the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO), according to a judicial source.

The Durres Prosecutor's Office issued the warrant for Turkish citizen Muhammet Yasir Aydogmus.

Aydogmus is allegedly linked to FETO's “whistleblower” Twitter account known by the handle, Fuat Avni.

The Turkish national, his wife and two children were arrested on Oct. 8 when they tried to escape to Italy using fake passports; however, they were released on Oct. 13 without charge.

According to Turkish authorities, Aydogmus was clearly linked to the group which was involved in last year's defeated coup and wants him to be extradited.

FETO and its U.S.-based leader Fetullah Gulen orchestrated the defeated coup attempt of July 15, 2016, which left 250 people martyred and nearly 2,200 injured.

Turkey also accuses FETO of being behind a long-running campaign to overthrow the state through the infiltration of Turkish institutions, particularly the military, police, and judiciary.