Abdullah Bozkurt/Stockholm
Hamid Abdullah Hussein al-Ahmar, a Yemeni Muslim Brotherhood operative who owns several companies in Turkey, has held numerous meetings with Turkish government officials and representatives of various political parties in recent weeks. It has stepped up its lobbying efforts in support of Hamas.
Al-Ahmar, who has established Turkey as his base of operations, has for years used an organization called the Al-Quds Parliamentary League (LP4Q) in Istanbul to defend the Muslim Brotherhood and its Palestinian branch, Hamas. He has forged strong ties with the Islamist Justice and Development Party (AKP) government and pro-Hamas Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
A delegation led by al-Ahmar has been meeting with Turkish officials, parliamentarians and Islamist groups. These meetings have been taking place since October 7, when the military wing of Hamas, the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades, launched an offensive that prompted an Israeli offensive against Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip. ing.
The group’s efforts to influence parliamentarians and, in turn, public opinion, included a meeting with National Assembly Speaker Numan Kurtulmus in Ankara on November 8th. They met with representatives of various political parties, including HÜDA-PAR, the political wing of Turkey’s Iran-backed Hezbollah, which is politically aligned with President Erdogan’s AKP.
Turkish Parliament Speaker Numan Kurtulmus received a delegation from the Al-Quds Parliamentary League (LP4Q) in Ankara on November 8th.
Al-Ahmar was accompanied by Hasan Turan, an Islamist lawmaker from the AKP and head of the Palestinian-Turkish Friendship Parliamentary Group, who received significant support from the government and helped build networks in Turkey. In a meeting with political groups in parliament, Mr. Turan clearly communicated that LP4Q is operating under President Erdoğan’s guardianship.
In fact, four high-profile international conferences have been held in Turkey under the auspices of Erdoğan’s government, drawing participants from dozens of foreign countries. President Erdoğan personally attended the LP4Q conference on December 14, 2018 and congratulated Mr. Al-Ahmar and his colleagues for what he described as a valuable global effort in the awakening of the Islamic world. . When he is unable to attend LP4Q meetings, he sends personal messages praising the organization’s efforts.
Turan claims the organization has the support of around 500 parliamentarians around the world and is actively involved in Africa, Asia and Latin America. Mr. Turan is also a member of LP4Q’s executive committee, while Noureddin Nevati, a fellow AKP lawmaker and former economy minister in Erdoğan’s cabinet, is chairman of the organization’s Turkish branch.
The Al-Quds Parliamentary League (LP4Q) met with Turkey’s Iranian-backed Hezbollah political wing HÜDA-PAR in Ankara on November 8.
It is clear that LP4Q receives support from various Turkish government agencies, which is facilitated by the patronage of the Turkish President, helping the organization navigate red tape and reduce red tape.
Nordic Monitor’s investigation revealed that LP4Q already has several agreements in place with Turkish government agencies to support its global operations. In April 2021, a protocol was signed with the Presidency of Turks Abroad and Associated Communities (Yurtdışı Türkler ve Akraba Topluluklar Başkanlığı, YTB).
YTB actively collaborates with Turkish intelligence agency MIT (Milli İstihbarat Teşkilatı) and serves as a source of recruitment for the spy agency from overseas diaspora communities, including exchange students who studied in Turkey on government scholarships. Masu.
The Parliamentary League of Al-Quds (LP4Q) signed a protocol with the Presidency of Turks Abroad and Related Communities (Yurtdışı Türkler ve Akraba Topluluklar Başkanlığı, YTB) in April 2021.
In August 2021, LP4Q signed an agreement with Turkish state news agency Anadolu to strengthen public relations activities. The protocol was signed with the participation of Anadolu News Agency CEO Serdar Karagoz, LP4Q General Manager Mohammad Makram Balawi, and LP4Q Public Relations Manager Abdullah Albertaj.
The group is also developing training and education programs in cooperation with the Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism and Ankara University.
While al-Ahmar promotes the ideology of the Muslim Brotherhood among Turkey’s 85 million people and uses Istanbul as a springboard for building global alliances, he is also involved in several commercial enterprises, including Some appear to be funding Hamas’ global operations.
The Al-Quds Parliamentary League (LP4Q) signed a protocol with Turkey’s state-run Anadolu News Agency in August 2021.
He is the Founder and Chairman of the Board of Investrade Portföy Yönetimi A.Ş., an investment company established on November 15, 2017 in Istanbul. Trade registration data revealed that he sought cooperation from his two Bahrain-based companies, Investrade Company BSC and International Trade. and Investment Co. — as a partner in a Turkish company.
The company’s declared capital was 5 million Turkish liras ($1.3 million based on the exchange rate at the time). However, the current declared capital is TRY 16.1 million, and this figure may not accurately reflect the true value of the business operations in which the company is engaged.
In August 2018, just eight months after its establishment, the company received a portfolio management license from the Capital Markets Commission (SPK). This quick approval is notable considering the generally strict regulations in the financial industry.
Organizational chart of Investtrade Portföy Yönetimi A.Ş.:
Investtrade_organization_chart
Investtrade’s day-to-day operations are overseen by CEO Hakan Beloglu, a former Turkish government official who worked at the Savings and Deposit Insurance Fund (TMSF). The regulatory body TMSF has been used politically by President Erdoğan. Since 2015, approximately 1,000 private companies, including major conglomerates, have been seized by the TMSF as part of a crackdown on the Gülen movement, a group critical of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, particularly regarding government corruption and Turkey’s support for armed jihadist groups. It is being
As head of TMSF’s equities and real estate division, Beroor oversaw the acquisition of these companies until 2017, when he moved to the corporate division. During this period, the Erdoğan regime redistributed the assets of these seized companies and the wealth of their owners to government officials, who then enriched their own pockets through the TMSF program.
The Turkish president spoke at an event organized by the Al-Quds Parliamentary League (LP4Q) in 2018.
Al-Ahmar is also responsible for the Hamas business venture Trend Geirimenkul Yaturm Ortakul A.Ş (Trend), which was placed under the sanctions regime by the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) on May 24, 2022. was involved. U.S. officials said the company was part of Hamas’ global financial assets worth more than $500 million and was hiding and laundering funds on behalf of the Palestinian militant group. Al-Ahmar was Trend’s CEO, but he was removed following the US designation.
Thanks to President Erdoğan’s political protection, Mr. Al-Ahmar and his business activities in Turkey are not affected by any regulatory bodies and are not subject to any administrative or legal investigations.
Trade registration documents for the establishment of Investtrade Portföy Yönetimi A.Ş.:
Investtrade_trade_registry
