HÜDA-PAR’s advisory board member was once Interpol-wanted suspect over Hizbullah trial

It has come to light that one of the top senior executives of the now-defunct Islamist armed group Hizbullah currently holds a position on the General Advisory Board of HÜDA-PAR, the new ally of the ruling AKP. Mehmet Fatih Anal had fled Turkey for Switzerland in the early 2000s following an arrest warrant. He later voluntarily came to Turkey once several former Hizbullah members found the support of the current government.

Monday May 22 2023 09:18 pm

This collage shows Anal and the HÜDA-PAR's tweet announcing him as the member of the General Advisory Board.

Duvar English

Every day a new piece of information emerges about the affiliations of the ruling Justice and Development Party’s (AKP) new partner Free Cause Party (HÜDA-PAR) with the radical Islamist terrorist organization Hizbullah.

Now it has come to light that a former executive of Hizbullah, named Mehmet Fatih Anal, is currently a member of HÜDA-PAR’s General Advisory Board, according to Özgür Cebe from the daily Sözcü.

Anal fled Turkey in the early 2000s after authorities issued a search warrant against him due to his position in the Hizbullah. His activities within Hizbullah came out when police seized the group's archive during a raid in Istanbul in 2000.

In an attempt to secure asylum, Anal unlawfully fled to Switzerland while successfully evading the authorities who were actively searching for him.

He was detained by Swiss police on July 17, 2009 after a red notice was issued against him, and the news of his arrest was communicated to the Swiss Consulate of Turkey.

On the same date, Turkey’s Justice Ministry submitted an extradition request to the Swiss authorities for Anal. In the file, the ministry stated that Anal was an executive of the terrorist group Hizbullah, that he was in charge of mosques within the scope of the organization's activities, that he recruited members for the organization, that he collected money under the name of zakat on behalf of Hizbullah and sent reports to the organization's management.

However, Switzerland rejected this request and did not hand Anal over to Turkey.

In the early 2000s, Hizbullah started to reorganize itself quietly under a number of foundations, associations and other entities. Several members of the group established the HÜDA-PAR as a political party in December 2012 with the support of the current government, which green-lighted the party's entry into politics.

The AKP lifted the arrest warrant against Anal after its ties with the HÜDA-PAR became stronger. Anal then voluntarily came to Turkey and was released after his statement was taken during this process.

A report prepared by intelligence units and submitted to the National Security Council (MGK) in 2005, stated that Hizbullah was preparing an assassination plan against senior generals in order to give morale to its base after their leader was killed during the operation in 2000.

Hizbullah members who stood trial are known to have said in their testimonies that Anal was one of the most influential figures of the organization.

Topics HÜDA-PAR Hizbullah AKP Radical Islam terrorist organizations