"Resist but (No) Release". Crime Boss Tried Every Which Way, But His "Liberation" Efforts Fell Short, from Argentina to Turkey

türkçe links to original Turkish article

(Nefes Newspaper, 16 August 2026)

        So glad to be home, he knelt to kiss the ground.

Serkan Kurtuluş (whose surname means "liberation" (!)), the leader of 

an organized crime syndicate who was wanted internationally on a red 

notice and apprehended in Argentina, has finally been brought to 

Istanbul following the completion of his extradition process.

Kurtuluş, who was wanted on a red notice for numerous crimes including 

"premeditated murder," "intentional homicide," "forming an organization 

to commit crimes," "threats," and "armed robbery" committed in Turkey, 

was apprehended in Argentina in 2020.

Following a process coordinated by the Interpol Europol Directorate, 

Kurtuluş was handed over to the Argentine authorities and brought to 

Türkiye on Turkish Airlines flight TK16, which departed from Buenos 

Aires, Argentina, and stopped in São Paulo, Brazil, accompanied by a 

Turkish team.

However (!), while the plane was parked at the São Paulo airport, Kurtuluş

shouted in Spanish that there was a bomb on the plane while it was waiting 

there. His efforts to have the plane evacuated were unsuccessful, and the 

extradition process continued with the necessary security measures in place.

In happier days...

The process began with the issuance of a red notice on October 31, 2017, 

as a result of the work carried out by the Interpol Europol Directorate. 

Following these efforts, information was obtained that Kurtuluş was 

apprehended in Argentina on June 11, 2020.

Kurtuluş, who sought asylum in Argentina to prevent his extradition to 

Türkiye, had his request rejected, but his extradition was delayed for a 

long time due to legal processes.

After the Argentine authorities approved Kurtuluş's extradition to Türkiye, 

following his hunger strike (!) while in prison, the Interpol Europol 

Directorate took action. International coordination was initiated to bring 

Kurtuluş to Türkiye.

Handed over to security personnel at Istanbul Airport by his accompanying 

team, Kurtuluş was taken to the Istanbul Airport Security Branch Directorate.