Suspected organ trafficker arrested in Cyprus

Israeli national Moshe Harel to be extradited to Kosovo over human organ trafficking which took place over a decade ago

6 January 2018, 3:39pm

1 min read

A man suspected of leading kidney donors from Turkey and the ex-Soviet Union has been arrested in Cyprus on an international arrest warrant from Interpol and Russia.

Kosovo, whose independence is not recognised by Cyprus, is now asking for extradition of the suspect, Moshe Harel. Baki Kelani, a spokesperson for Kosovo police, told Reuters that Harel has been a wanted person since 2010.

The man is accused of being part of an organ-trafficking ring in Kosovo which was discovered in 2008, together with nine other people.

Organ trafficking has been a contentious issue in Kosovo after a former UN prosecutor accused the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) of harvesting organs from Serbs killed during the Kosovo war of the late 90s.