According to U.S. court documents reviewed by Nordic Monitor, not only have Hamas militants designated as terrorists by the United States and the European Union chosen Turkey as a safe haven where they can obtain citizenship and residency while using the country’s financial and logistics infrastructure to support their operations, but Israeli organized crime figures have also turned to Turkey as a base from which to conduct their criminal enterprises, obtain citizenship or legal residency, and expand their international presence, according to U.S. court documents reviewed by Nordic Monitor. Nordic Monitor.
The case of Eran Hii, a US-born Israeli organized crime figure wanted by Israel on charges of attempted murder and conspiracy, provides a rare glimpse into how Turkey has become a preferred haven for transnational actors ranging from militants to mafia bosses. According to court records, Hiya primarily resided in a gated community in Turkey under private security. U.S. judges deemed him a serious flight risk, citing his residence in Turkey, family connections abroad, financial resources and access to numerous travel documents.
Following his father’s imprisonment, Eran Hiya became one of a new generation of Israeli organized crime leaders who assumed control of the long-running criminal organization after his father was imprisoned.
Hiya, 43, is no stranger to crime. He is the son of Eitan Hiya, a Mafia veteran once dubbed the “Israeli Godfather” who was considered by law enforcement to be the leader of the Hiya gang, a major organized crime syndicate operating in both Israel and the United States. In February 2016, the Tel Aviv District Court sentenced Eitan Hiya to 20 years in prison for conspiracy, extortion and money laundering after finding that he led a violent criminal organization that used threats, intimidation and violence to extort businessmen and launder illicit proceeds.
Following his father’s imprisonment, Eran Hiya became one of a new generation of Israeli organized crime leaders who assumed control of the long-running criminal organization after his father was imprisoned.
Hiya was the subject of an Interpol Red Notice issued at Israel’s request, meaning Turkish authorities must have known he was wanted on serious criminal charges through international law enforcement channels. Despite this, there is no indication in available court records that Türkiye took action to arrest him. Instead, Hiya was able to settle in Turkey, where he received Turkish citizenship and lived in a heavily guarded compound under private guard, according to U.S. court records. According to an Israeli police document introduced as evidence in extradition proceedings to the United States, investigators traced Hii’s international travel route that began in Turkey and extended through several countries, highlighting Turkey’s role as his main base of operations.
After arriving in Malaysia from Turkey, Hiya was arrested by Malaysian police in Johor on April 4, 2024. He was subsequently turned over to US authorities on May 12 in connection with a separate US arrest warrant charging him with passport fraud and conspiracy to illegally obtain US citizenship for members of his family. When Malaysian authorities handed Hiy over to the FBI, they also handed over several identification documents seized during his arrest, including a Turkish passport and a Turkish national ID card. The documents further supported U.S. investigators’ belief that Türkiye had become Hii’s primary base of operations and that he had established formal legal ties to the country.
After arriving in New York, Hiya appeared in federal court on May 14, 2024, on charges of passport fraud. Three days later, on May 17, the US Department of Justice initiated separate extradition proceedings on behalf of Israel under the US-Israel extradition treaty.
According to an FBI memo documenting a voluntary interview conducted during Hii’s transfer from Kuala Lumpur to New York, he discussed his assets, international travel, business interests, associates and criminal rivals with federal agents.
Most importantly for Turkey, the FBI report said Khiya told agents he had a Turkish passport and property in Turkey. This suggests he obtained Turkish citizenship through the purchase of real estate, a common method made available to foreigners in recent years by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s corrupt government to obtain citizenship and residency. Many well-known figures who are on the international wanted list settled in Turkey under this scheme with the full knowledge of the Turkish authorities. As long as they launder money in Turkey and share the illicit proceeds with the Turkish mafia, which in turn hands over shares to high-ranking government officials, including Erdogan himself, in exchange for protection, they remain untouched. Hiya’s case follows the same pattern.
How Hiya managed to obtain Turkish citizenship requires further study. As part of Turkey’s naturalization process, citizenship applications are screened by the National Intelligence Organization (MIT) as well as the Interpol division of the Turkish National Police, both of which would have knowledge of Hii’s notorious past as a long-time participant in gang wars in Israel. The fact that his application was nevertheless approved raises questions about how he passed the security check. This may indicate that he received help from insiders, provided false documents or paid bribes to officials. More importantly, the granting of Turkish citizenship required the signature of President Erdogan, who had to be presented with the case file before giving final approval. Despite Hiya’s background, the application ultimately received presidential approval.
The letter said FBI agents were seeking detailed information about Hii’s movements after receiving information that he was involved in a violent altercation on the Indonesian island of Bali.
Hiya also told FBI agents that one of the men allegedly sent to kill him while he was in Malaysia was returning to Turkey, and the other was heading to Georgia. This detail is especially noteworthy. If true, it suggests that Hiya was not the only Israeli organized crime figure to find refuge in Turkey. It also raises the possibility that Türkiye could serve as a safe haven for other members of Israeli organized crime, which requires further investigation by law enforcement.
According to the complaint filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, Israel sought the provisional arrest of Hiya under the U.S.-Israel extradition treaty after charging him with attempted murder and conspiracy to commit a felony. A warrant for his arrest was issued on May 10, 2024 by Tel Aviv Magistrate Court Judge Eitan Korenhauser.
Israeli authorities allege that from December 2023 to January 2024, Hiya directed, planned and provided material support for the assassination attempt of rival gang leader Eli Musli. The warrant also lists numerous alleged offenses under Israeli law, including attempted murder of a person, illegal acquisition, carrying or transportation of weapons, illegal possession of weapons, conspiracy to commit a crime, altering the identity of a part of a vehicle and destruction of evidence.
Despite the Israeli address listed on the warrant, US court records later emphasized that Hiya’s life was centered in Turkey. The Second Circuit Court of Appeals noted that Hiya routinely resided in the Turkish compound under private security and carried passports and identification documents from several countries, including Turkey and Poland. The court also cited his lack of strong ties to the United States, his family’s residence abroad and his alleged access to illegal assets as reasons for denying bail.
The court’s April 24, 2026 order affirmed the district court’s finding that Khia is a flight risk and should remain in custody while he fights extradition. The judges concluded that even if there were questions about the strength of the Israeli evidence, the combination of his Turkish base, international mobility, financial resources and alleged role in organized crime justified continued detention.
The FBI’s international investigation also sheds new light on Hiya’s use of Turkish documentation. In an intelligence request dated February 2, 2024, a copy of which was filed in the U.S. court and sent by the FBI legal attaché at the U.S. Embassy in Jakarta to the Indonesian National Police, investigators specifically instructed their Indonesian counterparts to determine whether Hii’s Turkish-issued documents were seized and to reconstruct his international travel based on those documents.
The letter said FBI agents were seeking detailed information about Hii’s movements after receiving information that he was involved in a violent altercation on the Indonesian island of Bali. Among the FBI’s questions were whether Indonesian authorities confiscated a Turkish passport, cellphones, computers, laptops or tablets during his arrest, what passport he used to enter Indonesia and when he arrived in Bali.
The case raises broader questions about how foreign fugitives, militants and organized crime figures have been able to infiltrate the country through residence, citizenship and protection networks while continuing to pose security challenges beyond Turkey’s borders.
Perhaps most tellingly, the FBI determined that Hiya also used the name Eren Kaya (a common Turkish first and last name) in Turkish documents. The intelligence request includes Turkish passport details under the same Turkish name and passport ID number U26966689. His Turkish national identification number was listed as 43049150534.
These records support later findings by US federal courts that Khiya maintained significant ties to Turkey. Together with the court’s findings that he primarily resided in a gated compound in Turkey, the FBI documents indicate that Turkish identification documents were deemed important enough by investigators to be the centerpiece of an international law enforcement investigation spanning the United States, Indonesia and Israel.
The case adds another layer to Turkey’s growing reputation as a welcoming environment for internationally wanted figures. Turkish authorities have long been criticized for allowing Hamas militants to gain residency, citizenship and operational space in the country. Hiya’s case shows that Turkey has also attracted figures from the world of Israeli organized crime, who appear to have found Turkey a safe platform to live, travel and maintain influence abroad.
The case raises broader questions about how foreign fugitives, militants and organized crime figures have been able to infiltrate the country through residence, citizenship and protection networks while continuing to pose security challenges beyond Turkey’s borders.
Originally published July 2, 2026
The documents mentioned in this article are available in their original form. Northern Monitor version.