Turkish Foreign Ministry denies reports that diplomats attempted to kidnap businessman in Switzerland

ANKARA

The Foreign Ministry has denied allegations that Turkish diplomats planned to drug and kidnap a Swiss-Turkish businessman as part of a crackdown after the July 2016 coup attempt.

“We utterly deny the baseless allegations contained in an article regarding ‘the attempted abduction of a Swiss business person’ published on website of the Swiss newspaper Tages-Anzeiger, which also targets our embassy and our personnel,” Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hami Aksoy said on March 16 in a written statement.

“If the newspaper that advanced these allegations and the Swiss authorities referred to in the article intend to take up serious and factual matters, they should instead focus on countering the terrorist [Kurdistan Workers’ Party] PKK and [Fethullah Terrorist Organization] FETÖ elements that have found refuge in Switzerland,” Aksoy added.

Tages-Anzeiger had reported that Switzerland is investigating whether one or two Turkish diplomats were involved in a plot to snatch the Swiss-based businessman, who was active in the movement of U.S.-based Islamic preacher Fethullah Gülen, believed to have been behind Turkey’s July 2016 coup attempt.

“The Office of the Attorney General can confirm that in this context a criminal case is being conducted on suspicion of political intelligence gathering ... and prohibited acts for a foreign state,” the Office of the Attorney General of Switzerland said in an emailed statement.

The investigation began in March 2017, the daily reported.