Arrest warrant issued for exiled mobster who promises to 'ruin' Turkish officials
Turkish prosecutors issued an arrest warrant Thursday for exiled mobster Sedat Peker, whose video exposes have implicated high-level officials and left ruling party insiders struggling to respond.
ISTANBUL — The Ankara Chief Prosecutors Office issued an arrest warrant May 27 for exiled mafia boss Sedat Peker, who for more than three weeks has been posting hourlong videos online implicating Turkish officials in a multitude of crimes.
In a series of seven YouTube videos, which combined have more than 57 million views, Peker has been lobbing uncorroborated allegations ranging from corruption to rape and murder against high-level Turkish officials, shaking the inner circles of the nation’s ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP).
The arrest warrant comes a day after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan denounced the accusations and expressed support for Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu, a frequent target in the mobster’s videos.
"We stand with our interior minister in his battle with criminal gangs, as well as terrorist organizations," Erdogan told AKP lawmakers May 26, adding, “Turkey will thwart these plots and will bring organized crime bosses to Turkey to face justice."
