Abdullah Bozkurt, a former journalist affiliated with the Gülenist Terror Group (FETÖ) who was indicted in the 2016 assassination of Russia's Ambassador to Ankara Andrei Karlov, was not included in Sweden’s extradition list despite his crimes.

There are three distinct warrants on Bozkurt as well as eight criminal records including establishing and leading an armed terrorist organization, yet the suspect still managed to not be included in Sweden’s extraditions.

Bozkurt was recently sighted in Salem, in Sweden's Stockholm County. Sweden is among the countries Türkiye repeatedly calls for the extradition of terrorist suspects, including members of FETÖ and PKK.

A trilateral memorandum at the NATO Madrid summit signed among Türkiye, Sweden and Finland in June stipulated that the Nordic countries would not provide support to the PKK's Syrian offshoots, the YPG and the PYD, or the Gülenist Terrorist Group (FETÖ) – the group behind the 2016 defeated coup in Türkiye. The memorandum was signed after Sweden and Finland formally applied to join NATO in June, a decision spurred by Russia's war on Ukraine. Yet, in order for Sweden to join, their applications must be ratified by the Turkish Parliament, which depends on the country fulfilling its promises to fight terrorism.

Finland and Sweden also agreed to address Türkiye's pending deportation or extradition requests of terrorist suspects.

Earlier this month, Türkiye reiterated its extradition demands for members of the PKK and FETÖ during talks with a Swedish delegation in Ankara as part of Sweden and Finland's bid to join NATO.

Justice Ministry personnel once again submitted extradition documents of the terrorist members and demanded their extradition.

Among the pending extradition requests are Harun Tokak, Yılmaz Aytan, Murat Çetiner, Alperen Melikhan Doğan, Bülent Keneş, Orhan Er and Harun Ayvaz, who are under investigation for FETÖ membership.

In addition, authorities brought up demands for PKK terrorist group members, whose extradition requests were previously denied.

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan had warned recently that Türkiye will not ratify Sweden and Finland's NATO membership bids unless the two Nordic countries "keep their promises."

FETÖ member Salim Zeybek had committed that Bozkurt took part in the murder of Karlov in a statement in Ankara in October 2019. In his statement, Zeybek stated that a working group, including high-level FETÖ imams, was established to create public opinion abroad that FETÖ did not carry out the assassination, and Bozkurt was assigned to generate news on Nordic Monitor for this aim.

Bozkurt, who worked as the Ankara representative of the now-defunct Today’s Zaman, the English-language mouthpiece of the terrorist group, is among the FETÖ suspects wanted by Turkish authorities. He disappeared after the coup attempt by the terrorist group’s military infiltrators, which was foiled thanks to public resistance. He emerged in Sweden later and founded Nordic Monitor, a black propaganda website publishing fake news about Türkiye. The website was behind the exposure of Turkish intelligence personnel working in Libya.

In 2018, Bozkurt set up Nordic Monitor, which released some 12,000 articles and podcasts targeting Türkiye, particularly its intelligence services, with disinformation.

Bozkurt, reportedly tracked down by Russia's intelligence service, had his registered address removed from Swedish registries to go into hiding after claiming three people assaulted him in 2020 outside his home. He apparently lives in a house on Mosshagestigen street in Salem and rarely goes out, sometimes once in a month. Bozkurt also apparently changed his image to avoid detection, growing a beard.

Bozkurt was accused of insulting the president at the Istanbul Anatolia 57th Court of First Instance, establishing and leading an armed terrorist organization at the Istanbul 2nd Criminal Court of Peace, insulting the president, making propaganda for a terrorist organization, and slander at the Ankara 7th and 5th Criminal Courts of Peace.

Yet, Swedish news outlets ignore the crimes and files on Bozkurt, describing him as a "journalist in exile."