‘Most wanted man in Australia’ arrested in north

Australian fugitive and underworld boss Mark Buddle is set to be extradited to his native country after he was arrested in the north on Saturday and taken to Turkey, according to Turkish Cypriot daily Kibris Postasi.

Buddle fled Australia in 2016 after being named a person of interest in the murder of a security guard and has evaded authorities ever since, even being branded the most wanted man in Australia in some corners.

His arrest was the result of a complex Interpol operation that involved Turkish and Turkish Cypriot police officers, according to the newspaper.

Since he fled his country, the Sydney-born fugitive is believed to have travelled to Turkey, Greece and Iraq, before finally settling in the north.

Kibris Postasi claims he was granted residency in the occupied territories due to “high income” last year until August 2022.

The residency permit was recently revoked after Turkish Cypriot authorities deemed his presence “inconvenient in terms of security.”

Legal proceedings are now underway in Ankara to extradite Buddle to Australia, where he is due to appear in court to answer to his crimes.

Kibris Postasi added that several “high-ranking” politicians in the north were opposed to Buddle’s arrest and his consequent deportation to Turkey.

However, ‘Interior Minister’ Ziya Öztürkler intervened to ensure the fugitive was arrested on July 9.

“The operation confirms our commitment to keep the country safe and deport whoever represents a threat for our security,” a statement released by the Turkish Cypriot ‘interior ministry’ on Tuesday said.

Buddle took over the leadership of the infamous Australian Comancheros bike gang when his former boss Mahmoud ‘Mick’ Hawi was jailed over a fatal brawl at Sydney airport in 2009.

He fled Australia in 2016 for Dubai, where he met his partner Melanie Ter Wisscha.

Last year, Buddle left Dubai soon after a video surfaced showing him fighting tourists at a resort pool.