Safety concerns prompt relocation of Australian Police officers in Türkiye

According to a recently released statement connected to a separate legal case, the officers stationed in Ankara required relocation after their involvement in the capture. “AFP has received information raising concerns around safety and security of AFP members at Ankara Post,” stated Superintendent Marie Andersson.

“An assessment of further information led to the decision to relocate two AFP members … and their families out of Türkiye until a security assessment and implementation of recommended security measures could be conducted.”

The officers and their families spent six weeks in another country before being cleared to return to their posts in Türkiye. Details regarding the specific nature of the perceived threats were not disclosed.

The operation to return the crime boss to Australia coincided with the AFP’s intensified focus on an offshore criminal group known as the “Aussie Cartel,” which had established operations in Istanbul and evaded Australian authorities for roughly a decade. Authorities suspect the cartel facilitated large-scale drug trafficking into Australia and maintained a network spanning Asia and Europe.

The information surfaced during a legal challenge brought by Masood Zakaria, who is attempting to have gangland murder charges against him dismissed. Zakaria alleges his deportation to Australia in 2023, facilitated by payments of $1 million to Skytraders and Hart International, was unlawful.

Superintendent Andersson testified last week regarding her role in Zakaria’s deportation, denying any misconduct. Her statement, presented in court this week, offered insight into the lives of Australian fugitives operating in Istanbul. The statement identified former Sydney bikie Hakan Ayik, currently facing a potential sentence of 262 years in a Turkish prison, as a central figure in this criminal network.

Previously reported by the ABC, Ayik and his cousin, Hakan Arif, were reportedly leaders of the syndicate, which amassed billions while evading police in Istanbul. Superintendent Andersson’s statement characterized them as key “high value targets” for the AFP at the time. The AFP initially sought to suppress these details, but recently relinquished that effort. Ayik’s criminal enterprise was ultimately exposed in 2021 when he unknowingly shared AFP-compromised phones with associates, leading to his arrest on drug and money laundering charges.