On Monday, detention negotiations will take place against Ismail Abdo in Turkey. In connection with the arrest, there is a risk that the development of violence in Sweden will increase, according to SVT’s crime reporter Diamant Salihu.
- Just because a leading person and his top echelons disappear does not mean a victory for the police and society.
Gang leader Ismail Abdo was arrested in Turkey through cooperation between Swedish, Norwegian and Turkish police during the night of Friday. In Sweden, he is being held in absentia for a variety of crimes and is also wanted by Interpol.
Ismail Abdo is considered one of the most influential figures in the development of violence that has occurred in Sweden in recent years.
- It was a major police operation, I do not know what could have led to it. It could be the first part of a cooperation between Turkey and Sweden that was agreed upon during the NATO process, says SVT’s Turkey correspondent Tomas Thorén in Morgonstudion.
On Monday, Ismail Abdo will be brought before a detention judge in Turkey. Other people with Swedish connections have also been arrested in Turkey at the same time. The charges against those arrested include money laundering, international drug trafficking and participation in a criminal organization.
Power vacuum in Sweden
In Morgonstudion, SVT’s crime reporter Diamant Salihu also says that in connection with Ismail Abdo’s arrest, a large power vacuum will arise in the criminal environment in Sweden.
Just because a leading person and his top echelons disappear does not mean a victory for the police and society. As we have seen in other conflicts, a vacuum usually arises that others try to fill. It is possible that this important arrest will lead to more violence and chaos.
Arbitrary justice system
What will happen after detention hearings on Monday is unclear, says Tomas Thorén.
- The Turkish justice system is accused of being quite arbitrary. For example, opposition mayors and an investigative journalist have been arrested over the weekend alone. It is the same type of justice system that will now hold these gang criminals accountable.
Many Swedish gang criminals obtain citizenship in Turkey by investing in Turkish properties. It is unclear whether Ismail Abdo will be able to be deported to Sweden. He was born in Uppsala but has a parent from Turkey.
– It does not seem very likely that Ismail Abdo can be deported to Sweden, but now it also seems that there are crimes that Turkey accuses him of having committed in Turkey. Then it means that he can be tried for crimes he has committed in Turkey, says Diamant Salihu.
