British police steal cash from former Turkish president’s bags at London airport

British police harassed former Turkish President Abdullah Gul and first lady Hayrunnisa Gul at Heathrow Airport on Sept. 13, according to Gul’s former press advisor. During the search, three envelopes of cash were stolen from the couple’s bags.

The couple had arrived in England to attend the board of directors meeting of the Oxford Center for Islamic Studies. While the visit initially appeared routine, tensions arose as they prepared to leave the country and return home.

The couple were stopped for an extensive search at London’s Heathrow Airport on Sept. 13, despite protocol suggesting that such individuals, even when out of office, should be treated with a certain level of deference. The couple was detained at the airport for an extended period. Even though the former president objected to the incident, British police went ahead with its search.

After clearing security, the couple chose not to raise any further complaints to avoid missing their flight. However, they later discovered that three envelopes containing cash were missing from Hayrunnisa Gul’s bags.

The couple reported the incident to the Turkish embassy in London. Both the British and Turkish embassies announced they were closely investigating the matter, which involved several British police officers.