Abdullah Bozkurt/Stockholm
Turkey has systematically and deliberately granted citizenship to foreign nationals despite active INTERPOL records, outstanding arrest warrants and serious allegations ranging from organized crime to terrorism, an official government letter submitted in response to a Turkish parliamentary inquiry has inadvertently revealed.
The letter, signed by Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya, outlined how the naturalization process operates in Turkey under the government of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Dated December 12, 2025, and prepared by the Interior Ministry’s Directorate General of Population and Citizenship Affairs, the document claimed that applicants flagged through INTERPOL or Europol notices as well as those who received negative security assessments from Turkey’s intelligence agency, the National Intelligence Organization (Milli İstihbarat Teşkilatı, MIT), following in-depth background checks, were denied citizenship.
That means hundreds of cases in which applicants under criminal investigation, subject to arrest warrants or linked to transnational crime and jihadist networks in other jurisdictions were nonetheless granted Turkish citizenship, pointing to a deliberate policy pursued by the Erdogan government of providing sanctuary to such figures, even after they had failed the official vetting process.
According to the minister, Turkish authorities conduct security and archive checks under Article 72 of the citizenship regulation to ensure that criminals are not naturalized. In reality, however, the fact that many individuals with criminal records have been granted citizenship shows that the screening process stops short of rejecting applicants even when they appear in INTERPOL databases or have records in other jurisdictions.
Over the past decade the Turkish government has quietly decided to grant citizenship to notorious organized crime figures and jihadist operatives who, under normal circumstances and under Turkey’s own laws and regulations, should have been categorically denied.
In the absence of INTERPOL or Europol alerts, Turkish authorities appear to move more freely in selecting candidates for citizenship, as criminal intelligence, foreign arrest warrants or ongoing prosecutions that fall outside INTERPOL channels do not seem to block naturalization at all.
This has allowed Ankara to push through citizenship files for individuals widely regarded as high-risk by foreign law-enforcement agencies. INTERPOL notices are often absent in such cases because many states rely primarily on bilateral arrest warrants, sealed indictments or intelligence-based monitoring rather than public Red Notices, which take longer to initiate and finalize.
The scale of the policy is significant. The ministerial response confirms that 46,431 foreign nationals acquired Turkish citizenship through “exceptional” investment schemes between 2018 and 2024. These programs, aggressively marketed by the Erdogan government to attract foreign capital with few meaningful questions asked about the origin of funds, have long been criticized for weak oversight and political favoritism. The Turkish government has even pushed several laws through parliament to provide legal and administrative immunity for such inflows, as long as the funds are formally declared through Turkish banks. This framework has helped numerous notorious figures flock to Turkey and launder illegal proceeds through the country’s financial and banking system.
The high-profile cases that have drawn public exposure in recent years are merely the tip of the iceberg in illustrating how the Erdogan government has shielded criminals and jihadists in Turkey. Rawa Majid, also known as the “Kurdish Fox,” is a Sweden-based criminal kingpin wanted internationally for major drug offenses and the orchestration of contract killings. Despite appearing on Sweden’s most-wanted lists and being the subject of extradition requests, Majid acquired Turkish citizenship through investment and residence schemes and has avoided surrender to Swedish authorities. He was even briefly arrested in Turkey but was quickly released.
Ismatullah Khalozai, a key operative of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria — Khorasan Province (ISIS-K) designated by the US Treasury as a facilitator for the terrorist group, managed to operate out of Turkey under multiple identities and avoided arrest despite international sanctions and security designations.
An ISIS financier and an Iraqi national identified as Wisam Hikmat Ahmed Faiq al-Barazanchi acquired Turkish citizenship and later operated a car rental company in Istanbul that served as a logistical hub for moving ISIS operatives into Europe.
The letter, signed by Turkey’s Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya, reveals how citizenship was granted to fugitives facing arrest warrants issued by foreign jurisdictions or circulated through INTERPOL and Europol:
An Iraqi national designated by US authorities as a sponsor of ISIS and other extremist groups, Marwan M Salih Salih Al-Rawi, was granted Turkish citizenship and adopted the Turkish name Polat Devecioğlu.
Ahmad Nazari Shirehjini, an Iranian alleged to be part of a transnational organized crime syndicate involved in money-laundering and fraud in Europe, was granted protection and later Turkish citizenship. His ties to powerful Turkish political and police figures reportedly helped expedite his naturalization and provide political cover despite serious allegations.
A Dutch drug trafficking boss known as Leijdekkers resided in Turkey for years, acquired residency, bought property and initiated citizenship processes despite ongoing European criminal inquiries. Attempts by Dutch authorities to trigger migration enforcement with an INTERPOL blue notice were thwarted after powerful intermediaries influenced administrative decisions.
Hisham Yunis Qafisheh, a Jordanian financier associated with the Palestinian militant group Hamas, acquired Turkish nationality and assumed the Turkish name Haşmet Aslan after obtaining citizenship. Another senior Hamas financier, Syrian national Bakri Hanifa, obtained Turkish citizenship.
There have been numerous other cases of criminals and jihadists who secured Turkish citizenship. Only after mounting international pressure did the Erdogan government appear to initiate law-enforcement actions and criminal procedures, moves that amount to little more than efforts to ease diplomatic pressure on Turkey rather than a genuine crackdown on the figures involved or the networks behind them.
The interior minister’s letter noted that Turkish police arrested 106 suspects in a single operation on September 24, 2025, targeting individuals accused of forming criminal organizations, aggravated fraud and document forgery — offenses frequently associated with abuse of the citizenship-by-investment scheme. However, nothing substantive is expected to come of these arrests since many are likely to be released and only a few face minor charges or light sentences.
In the meantime the Interior Ministry offers no explanation as to how similar figures may have previously passed citizenship vetting, underscoring the gap between law-enforcement action and naturalization policy.
Legal experts say the admission confirms long-standing concerns that Turkey has turned citizenship into a political and financial commodity, prioritizing cash inflows, even when they amount to money laundering, and regime interests over international security cooperation. By disregarding foreign arrest warrants, intelligence alerts and INTERPOL/Europol notices, Ankara has positioned itself as a safe haven for fugitives, organized-crime figures and extremist operatives seeking legal status and protection under a Turkish passport.
The letter leaves little room for ambiguity: Granting citizenship to shady figures and notorious criminals is not an oversight but a deliberate administrative choice endorsed at the highest levels of government. In doing so, Erdogan’s administration has not only undermined Turkey’s own rule-of-law commitments but also exposed its allies and partners to heightened security risks, all while publicly claiming strict vetting and zero tolerance for crime and terrorism in naturalization processes.
