Islamist in Germany Given Two-Month Reprieve from Deportation

Metin Kaplan, the self-styled "Caliph of Cologne," who disappeared after a court on Wednesday ruled the man, who is wanted in Turkey on charges of high treason, could be deported.

But on Thursday evening, police ended their search for the 51-year old after a Cologne court ruled that he can still appeal his sentence within a two-month time frame. He cannot be extradited within that time. The arrest warrant, which had been issued for Kaplan, was nullified and police abandoned the European manhunt that had been in progress.

"It didn't make sense anymore," Inge Schürmann, spokeswoman for the city of Cologne, told the Associated Press.

While on Wednesday the higher regional court in the city of Münster had ruled that deportation was possible, it left open the possibility of an appeal with the Federal Administrative Court. Kaplan's lawyer, Ingeborg Naumann, then filed an emergency application requesting an appeal and the block on the extradition. She said earlier this week that her client has prostrate cancer and is not fit to travel.

Massive manhunt called off

Before the two-month reprieve was issued, police had launched a massive manhunt to find Kaplan, who had disappeared from his apartment in the Chorweiler district of Cologne late Wednesday after the arrest warrant was issued. Earlier that day, a court in Münster had overturned a previous decision that Kaplan, who was found guilty of inciting hatred in Germany, was unlikely to get a fair trial in Turkey, where he is wanted for allegedly plotting to destroy the tomb of Turkey's founder, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, and for seeking to overthrow Turkey's secular government. He faces charges of high treason there.

Kaplan, who is required to report to authorities on a regular basis, was last seen by an official on Monday who had stopped by the apartment of the 51-year-old to check a medical certificate. According to Steffenhagen, undercover officers had kept Kaplan under surveillance from 8:15 a.m. Wednesday morning, hours before the court ruling was released.

However, authorities could not confirm if Kaplan was still in his apartment at that time, since he enjoys freedom of movement within the city of Cologne.

When the search was in progress, German officials had alerted the border police and airports to be on the lookout for Kaplan. Neighboring countries had also been put on alert, as well as police officials in EU countries which are part of the Schengen Agreement, which abolished border checks for certain EU states.