Sweden has an approach to "protect" terrorists as it has either rejected or failed to respond to Turkiye's requests for extradition of fugitive terror group members, Anadolu Agency has learned.

According to sources, Sweden refused the extradition and granted citizenship to Mehmet Sirac Bilgin, Aysel Alhan, Aziz Turan, Ragip Zarakolu, and Halef Tak, who are all affiliated with the PKK/YPG terror group.

The extradition request of FETO members, including Harun Tokak, a senior operative of the terror group and its so-called Israel representative, as well as Bulent Kenes, a former editor of FETO's English-language mouthpiece Today’s Zaman, was also not responded to.

Similarly, Stockholm never got back to Turkiye's demand for the extradition of FETO members Levent Kenez and Yilmaz Ayten, who was granted asylum in Sweden after living in Afghanistan for years.

In its more than 35-year terror campaign against Turkiye, the PKK – listed as a terrorist organization by Turkiye, the US, and EU – has been responsible for the deaths of over 40,000 people, including women, children, and infants. The YPG is PKK’s Syrian offshoot.

FETO and its US-based leader Fetullah Gulen orchestrated the defeated coup of July 15, 2016 in Turkiye, in which 251 people were killed and 2,734 injured.

Ankara 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./aa