Turkey has made a formal request for the extradition of Hasan Adir, said to be a leading light in the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), who was arrested near Venlo on January 19.

Adir, who features on international wanted lists, had fled from Turkey to Germany because of fears for his and his family´s safety.
His presence in Germany is accepted by the authorities there and the German courts have refused to deport him back to Turkey, saying there is a real risk he would be tortured.
The arrest was made as soon as the car Adir and others were sitting in crossed the border into the Netherlands.
Border controls

His lawyer Bart Nooitgedagt, told the Volkskrant he wanted to know if the Dutch authorities were aware that his client was close to the border. There are no formal border controls between the Netherlands and Germany.
The extradition case will be heard on March 18.
The PKK is considered a terrorist organisation by the EU and features on the Dutch list of known terrorist organisations.