Sedat Peker releases short video after rumors of death, detention

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Convicted mob boss Sedat Peker released a new video on YouTube last night (June 20) after rumors that he was killed or detained in the country he was in.

In the six-minute video, Peker says the authorities in the country where he currently resides did not allow him to post videos due to the high risk of an assassination attempt against him. "A new evaluation will be made 15 days later, they will make a decision in the next stage," he says.

Peker did not disclose the name of the country in question. In his previous videos, he said he was in the UAE, which was not confirmed or denied by the country. However, social media users were able to locate several hotels he stayed in by using screenshots from his videos.

In early May, Peker started making videos on state-mafia relations in Turkey, making allegations against current and former government officials, including international drug and arms smuggling, bribery, corruption and political assassinations.

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His allegations have been at the center of Turkey's political debate since then as his hour-long videos got more than 100 million views on YouTube.

Peker said in the video on June 6 that the next episode would be about President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan but he hasn't yet released such a video. After he went silent on Twitter for about 24 hours last week, there were also rumors that he was detained or killed. In a tweet on June 14, he said he met with "the authorities" to review the securty risks against him.

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In yesterday's video, Peker said he was able to get permission for a short video to prove that he wasn't killed or detained.

A well-known figure in Turkey's underworld since the 1990s, Peker was released from prison in March 2014, after serving 10 years for leading an organized crime group.

After his release, he became a public supporter of the Justice and Development Party (AKP) government, holding pro-AKP rallies before the 2017 referendum for a presidential system.

In late 2019, he left the country for Montenegro, which he said was temporary but he hasn't been able to return to the country since then.

Peker said he started his confessions after Minister of Interior Süleyman Soylu didn't keep his promise that he would be able to return to the country in April. (TP/VK)