Turkey seeks extradition of crime boss from UAE

Turkey has asked the United Arab Emirates to extradite a convicted crime boss who fled prosecution and accused the allies of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of serious misdemeanours, state news agency reported on Wednesday. 

The justice ministry has asked the UAE to "temporarily arrest Sedat Peker for his eventual extradition to Turkey," the Anadolu news agency reported. 

Peker's accusations against Erdogan's allies -- including a former prime minister, top officials and their relatives -- ranged from corruption and drug trafficking to rape and assassinations.

In June, Peker said he had been warned by UAE authorities about the "high security risk" of his videos filled with bombshell accusations, particularly against Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu.

Peker subsequently stopped sharing the content. 

The UAE authorities "told me that there's something called an international security protocol. I can't share videos due to the high security risk," Peker said on Twitter on 18 June, adding that he was not allowed to use the social media platform. 

The mafia boss also said that UAE officials warned him of possible assassination attempts against him.

Ties between Turkey and the oil-rich Emirates have warmed recently following tensions over regional disputes such as the Libyan civil war, as well as gas exploration in the eastern Mediterranean. 

Relations were particularly tense after Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Bahrain in 2017 cut all links with Qatar, a close ally of Turkey. 

Erdogan visited the UAE this month for the first time in nearly a decade for talks with Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the UAE's de facto ruler.

The two oversaw the signing of 13 cooperation agreements and memoranda of understanding, including a letter of intent on cooperation in the defence industries.