The suspects include the gang’s alleged boss, a 39-year-old Turkish national of Kurdish origin and one of Ankara’s most wanted men.
The suspects face charges that include murder, terrorist attacks and being in an armed group for terrorist purposes.
The man was taken into custody from an apartment in the city of Viterbo, north of Rome, where he was under house arrest after being detained in Rimini in August 2022 under an international warrant issued by the Turkish authorities.
The arrest was regarding allegations including murder, criminal association and arms felonies.
The accused rejected the allegations and staged a successful legal battle in the Italian courts against his extradition, saying he was being persecuted for his Kurdish origins.
According to the warrant for Wednesday’s operations, he had continued to lead a criminal network active in many parts of Europe from a residence in Crotone where he had been under house arrest.
Among other things, he was the alleged brains behind a planned attack in March on a Turkish aluminium factory involving suicide bombers that was thwarted thanks to information exchanged by Italian and Turkish police.
The warrant said that, in a wiretapped conversation, the man had boasted that “all of Turkey” would talk about what he had in store.
ANSA
