Identified!
Khalil*’s trail led from Turkey to Greece and all the way to Switzerland – he was on the run. In Turkey, he was accused of unlawful detention, blackmail and murder. Thanks to fingerprints and an INTERPOL Red Notice, he was identified in Switzerland.
In September 2025, Khalil was extradited from Switzerland to Turkey. There, he was a defendant in a criminal trial. He was accused of having locked a woman in his flat in the Beyoğlu district of Istanbul in 2021. He was then alleged to have blackmailed her family and murdered the woman.
The Turkish authorities’ investigation was in full swing. However, after committing the crime, Khalil fled to Greece and assumed a false identity there, going by the name of Illias. Despite his escape and new identity, he was tracked down in Greece and questioned by the Greek police on behalf of the Turkish authorities. He claimed to the Greek authorities that he was already in Greece at the time of the crime. After the questioning, Khalil went into hiding. In October 2024, the Turkish authorities issued an international Red Notice for Khalil through INTERPOL.
Red Notice
Through INTERPOL, police authorities from 196 member countries around the world exchange wanted and alert information. A Red Notice is used for the international search for a person with the aim of their provisional arrest and possible extradition, however, it is not an international arrest warrant. Other INTERPOL notices include:
- Yellow for missing or unidentified persons
- Blue to establish a person’s identity or whereabouts
- Green to warn of potentially dangerous individuals
- Black to identify of unidentified deceased persons
- Purple for the exchange of information on investigative methods and procedures
- Orange for specific security alerts
Identification in Switzerland
About a week after the INTERPOL alert was issued, the Jura Cantonal Police stopped a person on suspicion of theft. What the cantonal police did not yet know was that this person was Khalil, who was living in Switzerland under another alias.
A few days later, Khalil came to the police’s attention again. This time, the Jura Cantonal Police took his fingerprints and ran them through the Automated Fingerprint Identification System (AFIS) operated by fedpol. A match was found with the fingerprints contained in the Red Notice. fedpol informed the Jura Cantonal Police and, at the same time, the Federal Office of Justice (FOJ), which is responsible for extradition matters, of the match, known as a ‘hit’. The FOJ ordered detention pending extradition and informed the Turkish authorities of the arrest. They, in turn, submitted an extradition request to the FOJ, and the fedpol police attaché in Turkey assisted with the preparations for the extradition.
Further investigations revealed that Khalil had adopted at least five additional aliases. To avoid detection, he even altered his appearance and had a large tattoo inked on the back of his neck. This allowed him to travel unhindered in Greece, Austria and Switzerland for a long time. The extradition proceedings against Khalil went all the way to the Federal Supreme Court. In September 2025, following an extradition order by the FOJ, Khalil was extradited to Turkey. This closed the case for fedpol.
The importance of biometric data
Biometric features are particularly well suited for identification – especially fingerprints, because they do not change. The fine lines on the fingertips, known as papillary ridges, form before birth and regenerate completely even after minor injuries. And they are unique – even identical twins have different fingerprints.
“This case is a prime example of modern criminal investigations involving cross-border teamwork. Local, national and international authorities work hand in hand – supported by clear identification using biometric data.”
Koray, police attaché in Turkey
*Name changed