Mevlut Cavusoglu, the Turkish Foreign Minister, stated on Thursday at a press conference with Rex Tillerson, the U.S. Secretary of State, that the arrest of Mehmet Hakan Atilla, the Deputy Director of Halkbank, and Reza Zarrab, a Turkish citizen of Iranian descent, in the U.S. was politically motivated. Mehmet Hakan Atilla is accused of circumventing sanctions against Iran in collaboration with Reza Zarrab. According to the Associated Press, Cavusoglu emphasized that this case was opened by Preet Bharara, the ousted federal prosecutor in the Southern District of New York. Bharara was one of 46 prosecutors appointed by former President Barack Obama, who were asked to resign by the Trump administration. Cavusoglu accused Bharara of having an 'antagonistic' stance towards Turkey. Reuters also reported that the Turkish Foreign Minister claimed Bharara had ties to Fethullah Gülen, the exiled Turkish cleric in the U.S. Mehmet Hakan Atilla was arrested by FBI agents at John F. Kennedy Airport in New York, while 33-year-old Reza Zarrab was arrested in Miami last March. U.S. prosecutors have charged Zarrab with moving hundreds of millions of dollars for the Iranian government and Iranian companies between 2010 and 2015, circumventing U.S. sanctions against Iran. Meanwhile, reports indicate that Turkish officials stated on Thursday that the arrest of Mehmet Hakan Atilla for allegedly collaborating in circumventing sanctions against Iran is 'completely political.' Bekir Bozdağ, the Turkish Minister of Justice, noted that the 'arrest of Turkish citizens' was conducted for entirely political purposes and asserted that there is no evidence against Zarrab and Turkey in the ongoing case in the U.S. He stated that this case is designed to undermine Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, the President of Turkey. Erdoğan had previously claimed that the judge and prosecutor in Zarrab's case had previously been 'guests' of Gülen's movement in Turkey. In this context, the arrest of the manager of a Turkish state bank for allegedly circumventing sanctions against Iran has added a former New York City mayor to Zarrab's legal team.
Turkish Foreign Minister: The Arrest of Reza Zarrab and Mehmet Hakan Atilla is Political
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu claims the arrests of Turkish banker Mehmet Hakan Atilla and businessman Reza Zarrab in the U.S. are politically motivated. The case, initiated by ousted prosecutor Preet Bharara, is seen by Turkey as an attack on President Erdoğan. This situation highlights ongoing tensions between Turkey and the U.S. regarding sanctions and political influence.
👥 Key Players
⚡ Actions
📰 What Happened
Turkey claims U.S. arrests of Zarrab and Atilla are politically motivated against Turkey.
- FBI arrest Mehmet Hakan Atilla, Reza Zarrab
- U.S. prosecutors accuse Reza Zarrab
- Mevlut Cavusoglu claim U.S. legal system
💡 Why It Matters
📚 Background
The arrests are perceived by Turkey as politically motivated actions against its citizens.
📝 Key Evidence
🏷️ Entities Mentioned
Translated from the original and edited for English readers. View original source →
Translation confidence: 85%