Turkey Repatriates 714 Fugitives Since Start of Year

Interior Minister Mustafa Çiftçi announced that 714 fugitive suspects have been extradited to Turkey from 44 countries since the beginning of the year under 'Cross-Border Trap' operations. He presented the figures during the 18th National Will Meeting organized by the TÜRGEV foundation in Istanbul.

The minister stated that crimes against persons dropped from 282,348 in the 2021-2025 period to 243,000 since he took office. He emphasized that the success of security policies is measured by public peace rather than operational statistics alone.

“Our report card of success will be determined by the peace of our nation.”

Authorities seized 64,372 unlicensed firearms and processed 68,310 individuals in operations launched since February 10, 2026. Additionally, 1,388 operations targeted 492 organized crime groups, 19 of which had international links.

Regarding school safety, Çiftçi noted that 31,000 personnel have been assigned as 'Garden Officers' across schools through a coordination involving seven ministries. The program aims to enhance security in school perimeters.