4 suspected senior members of Daesh remanded in Turkey
Four suspected senior members of Daesh terror group were remanded in custody in the western Izmir province of Turkey for managing an armed terror organization, according to a judicial source.
The move came after the suspected terrorists were arrested in a joint operation conducted by the country’s intelligence service (MIT) and anti-terror squads in Konak district last Friday.
Qasir al-Haddawi -- who was the group’s so-called “emir” in Syria’s Deir el-Zour and has reportedly close links to the group’s leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi -- was among those arrested in the operation.
The sources, speaking on condition of anonymity due to restrictions on talking to the media, said that the suspects confessed that they were the high-ranking members of the terror group. Haddawi, at the police center, said he was injured in conflict areas in Syria and claimed that he arrived in Izmir after being in the southeastern Sanliurfa and Gaziantep provinces for a while. Source
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More than 20 PKK terror suspects arrested across Turkey
A total of 23 suspects linked to the PKK terror group were arrested across Turkey, according to a security source Saturday.
Fourteen suspects were arrested in Bursa, Diyarbakir, Gaziantep, Tunceli, and Sirnak, a security official in Istanbul, from where the operation was launched, said on condition of anonymity due to restrictions on talking to media. Among the suspects were 12 women, the source added.
In southeastern Van province, gendarmes detained seven PKK suspects, according to provincial gendarmerie office. In northwestern Edirne province, two suspects were arrested; one of them was a women. Source
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High-ranking ISIS chiefs arrested in Turkey - Arab media review
Several high-ranking members of the extreme jihadist Islamic State (ISIS) have been apprehended in Turkey on terrorism charges, and have begun to provide courts with information on their activities within the group, Syrian and Iraqi newspapers reported last week.
Saudi news sources also reported on the participation of their armed forces in joint military exercises in Turkey. Four ISIS leaders were caught in the western Turkish city of Izmir in a joint intelligence and counterterrorism operation, Syrian opposition non-profit news source Enab Baladi said on Thursday.
The group includes 33-year-old Kassir al-Hadawi, known by his nom de guerre “Abu Qaaqaa al-Qaraani”, a high-ranking leader who had acted as the governor of the eastern Syrian province of Deir al-Zor until Syrian regime forces recaptured it in November 2017.
Hadawi is described by the Euphrates Post news site as a high-ranking commander who left a Free Syrian Army (FSA) affiliate and publicly declared his allegiance to ISIS in 2014, before quickly rising through the ranks due to his close connection to a local commander in the organisation, Saddam al-Jamal.
Hadawi has been accused of war crimes, including the massacre of members of the al-Shaitat, an eastern Syrian tribe, 700 of whom were systematically slaughtered in a killing spree spanning multiple villages in 2014. Enab Baladi and the Euphrates Post said Hadawi had close links to ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.
Another high-ranking ISIS commander, Mohamed Matar, (also known as Abu Layla), was also arrested in the operation alongside Omar Ghassan, or Abu Khitab, both of whom were active in the Deir al-Zor region.
The fourth person arrested was Mundir Zuheir, or Abu Far, who the Euphrates Post said acted as the intelligence chief for ISIS in Deir al-Zor and was involved in the arrests of hundreds of FSA fighters. The ISIS chiefs were reportedly arrested while attempting to secure passage out of Turkey to Europe, and have admitted their connection to the organisation.
Another ISIS leader has confessed to his membership of the organisation and meetings with Baghdadi to an Iraqi court after being apprehended in Turkey, Iraqi newspaper Azzaman said on Wednesday.
"The arrest of the accused was carried out after coordination between Iraqi intelligence and Turkish security services, under the direction of Central Criminal Court of Iraq,” said Azzaman.
The accused, who remained unnamed in Azzaman’s and other news reports, reportedly held a doctorate in Islamic law and was a high-ranking member of ISIS, whose duties included membership of a committee overseeing ISIS affairs in the organisation’s five “emirates” in Iraq, the Levant, Africa, the Gulf, and Europe.
The ISIS commander admitted to Iraqi intelligence that he had been in close touch with Baghdadi, the organisation’s leader and self-declared caliph, and that they had last met face to face in July, 2017.
Baghdadi has been in hiding since the intervention of an international coalition Western, local and regional forces brought about the collapse of the ISIS “caliphate” in Iraq and Syria in 2016-17.
Saudi forces arrived near the Turkish city of Izmir to take part in EFES 2018, a large-scale joint military exercise conducted in conjunction with Turkish forces as well as participants from 20 countries including the United States, Britain, Pakistan, Italy, Qatar and Bahrain.
Saudi land and naval units, as well as marines and F-15 jets took part in the live-fire military exercises starting last Wednesday. Saudi daily Okaz quoted Colonel Abdullah bin Mohamed al-Muraibi, the commander of the Saudi forces at EFES 2018, who stressed the significance of the exercise in terms of the number of participating countries and military techniques used.
The exercises, which included search and rescue, amphibious coastal assaults and parachute jumps carried out in combat conditions, would have tangible effects improving participants’ combat effectiveness, he said.
This is the second time Saudi forces are participating in Turkey’s extensive military exercise, after also taking part in 2016. Source
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150 ‘wanted’ PKK militants killed in last two years
At least 150 outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) militants on Turkey’s official “wanted” list have been killed in counterterrorism operations over the last 20 months, according to data compiled by state-run Anadolu Agency. Counterterrorism raids against senior PKK members mentioned in the Interior Ministry’s “wanted” list are ongoing in eastern and southeastern provinces including Tunceli, Şırnak, Bitlis, Diyarbakır, Hakkari and Adıyaman.
Security forces have carried out airstrikes using helicopters, warplanes and armed aerial vehicles as well as ground operations using artillery, thermal cameras and armored vehicles.
Nearly 150 senior members of the PKK were killed during these operations between Sept. 1, 2016 and April 30, 2018. The wanted list is divided into five color-coded categories, with red as the most wanted, followed by blue, green, orange and grey.
Hülya Eroğlu, known by her code name “Gülbahar,” was among 31 militants killed in a counterterrorism operation in the Bestler-Dereler region of the southeastern province of Şırnak. Source
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Operations in Bingöl, Diyarbakır
At least 10 PKK militants were killed in March as part of anti-terror operations in eastern province of Bingöl and the southeastern province of Diyarbakır. Among those killed was Edip Yetut, code-named “Erhan Siser.” Iranian national Salar Acem, codenamed “Saro,” was among 40 militants killed in Şırnak in April 2017.
Another senior member, Ahmet Tekin, codenamed “Bahoz,” was killed in an operation in the eastern province of Bitlis in April last year. Mehmet Fudeyil, codenamed “Roni,” was among seven militants killed in Tunceli in May last year, while Akif Albay, codenamed “Roger Helbis,” was also killed in Diyarbakır.
Another senior member Azat Cüngüş, codenamed “Gürbüz Topcu,” was killed in a counterterrorism operation in the southern province of Kahramanmaraş in August last year along with five others.
Zozan Cudi, codenamed “Zozan Temir,” was killed during an airstrike in Sirnak province on Nov. 15, 2017. In another operation in Tunceli, Murat Dag, codenamed “Ferhat Yilmaz,” was killed on Dec. 16, 2017.
Senior PKK member Murat Uçer, codenamed “Eylül,” was among those killed in Diyarbakir along with another regional head of the group, Veli Taşkıran. Source
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22 militants neutralized over last week
The Interior Ministry stated on May 7 that a total of 22 militants were “neutralized” as part of counter-terror operations across Turkey last week. The Turkish authorities often use the term “neutralized” in their statements to imply that the militants in question either surrendered or were killed or captured.
The ministry said security forces had carried out 1,495 counterterror operations from April 30 to May 7.
The ministry specified that one of the militants was killed, 16 were captured, and five surrendered to authorities.
During the operations, 150 people were arrested for allegedly aiding and abetting the PKK, while 94 were arrested over suspected links to the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL). Source
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Foreign Ministry: Capture of ISIL officials in Iraq facilitated by arrest in Turkey
A Turkish Foreign Ministry spokesperson has said a senior member of the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) who had been hiding in Turkey was captured in a cross-border sting carried out by the Iraqi and US intelligence agencies with the contribution of Turkish security forces, subsequently enabling the capture of other top ISIL officials in Iraq.
“Turkey has mobilized all its national capacity in the fight against DAESH. We are pleased to see that the international cooperation established in this regard is yielding important results,” Hami Aksoy said in a written statement on Friday, using the Arabic acronym for ISIL.
The operation mentioned in a New York Times article published on May 9 “initially started with the apprehension of a leading member of DAESH, Ismail Alwaan al-Ithawi, by the Turkish intelligence and law enforcement agencies in Sakarya and his subsequent deportation to Iraq,” said Aksoy. Source
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Turkish soldier martyred in PKK terrorist attack
A soldier has been martyred and another wounded during a counterterrorism operation in southeastern Turkey, a security source said Friday. The source, who asked not to be named due to restrictions on talking to the media, said the security forces had been running a counter-terror operation in the Bestler-Dereler region in Sirnak province.
During the operations, improvised explosives planted by the terrorist PKK detonated, injuring two Turkish soldiers. The soldiers were rushed to Sirnak State Hospital, where one soldier succumbed to his wounds, sources said. Source
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Over 20 terrorists neutralized across Turkey
At least 24 terrorists were “neutralized” during counter-terror operations held across Turkey over the past week, the Interior Ministry said in a statement Monday. Turkish authorities often use the word "neutralized" to imply that the terrorists in question either surrendered or were killed or captured.
The ministry said security forces carried out 1,821 counter-terrorism operations between May 7 and 14, adding that one terrorist was killed, 14 were captured, while nine others surrendered to authorities. During the operations, 132 people were also arrested for allegedly aiding and abetting the PKK terrorist group, and 22 others for their suspected links to the Daesh terrorist group.
The PKK -- listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the U.S. and the EU -- waged a terror campaign against Turkey for more than 30 years and has been responsible for the death of nearly 40,000 people. Another 967 people were arrested over alleged links to the Fetullah Terrorist Organisation (FETO) and 2 others over links to leftist terrorist groups. Source
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54 detained in operation against ISIL militants in Istanbul
The Istanbul Police Department’s Counter-Terrorism Unit teams have conducted a major operation against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), detaining 54 suspects.
Nineteen locations in 13 districts in Istanbul were raided in the early hours of May 15, Doğan News Agency reported.
Fifty-four detainees were taken to the headquarters of the Istanbul Police Department on Vatan Avenue and digital data and documents found during the raids were confiscated.
The suspects are thought to have been preparing to travel to conflict zones in Syria. Source
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Two Turkish soldiers killed in PKK bomb attack
Two Turkish soldiers were killed when an explosive device planted by the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) went off in the eastern province of Ağrı, local officials said on May 20.
Earlier, the Turkish military said in a statement that one soldier was killed and another one injured, however, the provincial governor’s office confirmed later that the second soldier had succumbed to his injuries.
The Turkish General Staff said the blast targeted a passing Turkish military vehicle in the Doğubayazıt district. Source
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Turkey: 21 terrorists neutralized over last week
A total of 21 terrorists were “neutralized” during counterterrorism operations across Turkey over the past week, the Interior Ministry said Monday.
Turkish authorities often use the word "neutralized" in their statements to imply that the terrorists in question either surrendered or were killed or captured.
In its statement, the ministry said the Turkish Armed Forces carried out 1,388 counter-terrorism operations on May 14-21 with the assistance of land and air forces.
The ministry said 11 of the terrorists were killed, eight others were captured, and two surrendered to authorities.
During the operations, 190 people were arrested for allegedly aiding and abetting the PKK terrorist group and 35 others for their suspected links to the Daesh terrorist group. Source
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PKK terrorists on wanted list killed in eastern Turkey
At least 13 PKK terrorists, including two on a wanted list have been killed during counter-terrorism operations, according to the regional governor's office Monday. In a statement, the Tunceli Governor's Office said Fuat Akkaya, codenamed Fuat Fikri, was identified among five terrorists killed during operations conducted in Ovacik district in eastern Tunceli province on May 18.
Zeynal Kucuk, codenamed Sevger, was the other PKK terrorist on the wanted list, who was also killed in Tunceli. Akkaya and Kucuk were mentioned in the grey category of the Interior Ministry's list of wanted terrorists. The wanted list is divided into five color-coded categories, with red as the most wanted, followed by blue, green, orange and grey.
Moreover, the Tunceli Governor's Office said in another statement that eight terrorists were "neutralized" in the rural area of the central district of Tunceli during an air operation. Source
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Turkish jets destroy 4 terror targets in northern Iraq
Turkish jets have destroyed four terrorist targets in northern Iraq, the military said on Tuesday.
In a message posted on its official Twitter account, the Turkish General Staff said the airstrikes were carried out on Monday in northern Iraq's Hakurk region. Turkish strikes in this region normally target PKK terrorists. The PKK is listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey as well as the U.S. and the EU.
In its terror campaign against Turkey, which has lasted for more than three decades, over 40,000 people have been killed, including women and children. Source
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34 PKK terrorists on wanted list killed in 2018
At least 34 PKK terrorists on Turkey's wanted list have been killed during counter-terrorism operations since Jan. 1, the Interior Ministry said Wednesday. In a statement, the ministry said a senior member of the terrorist group, who was killed in eastern Siirt on Tuesday during airstrikes, was also among the neutralized terrorists in the ministry’s list of wanted terrorists.
Adnan Celik, codenamed Kendal, was mentioned in the grey category of the Interior Ministry's list of wanted terrorists. The wanted list is divided into six color-coded categories, with red as the most wanted, followed by blue, green, orange, grey and white.
The statement said since Jan. 1, five terrorists from red, four from blue, three from green, two from orange, 13 from grey, and seven from white category were killed. Fifteen PKK terrorists were neutralized in airstrikes in Siirt and Kars provinces on Tuesday. Source
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Australia’s most wanted ISIS terrorist is imprisoned in Turkey
Australia’s most wanted Islamic State (ISIS) is currently behind bars in Turkey after his apprehension by the Turkish border police in 2016.
Neil Prakash (age 27) was attempting to cross into Syria from Turkey in 2016 when he was finally apprehended by the Turkish border police, the Daily Mail reported.
Once in custody, Prakash revealed to the Turkish officials that he married two women and fathered three children while being a member of the Islamic State in Syria, the Daily Mail continued.
The ISIS member is currently awaiting trial in Turkey and if convicted, he will face a lengthy prison term. However, Australia is currently pushing to have Prakash extradited before his trial in Turkey. Prakash has an outstanding warrant for his arrest in Australia and will face charges for terrorism if he is extradited. Source
Detention warrants have been issued for 7 people as part of an investigation into the alleged followers of the Gulen movement in Turkey’s Tokay province.
A Tokat prosecutor, on Friday, issued warrants to detain 4 lawyers as well as 2 judge candidates and 1 assistant rapporteur for the Constitutional Court who were earlier removed from their posts over Gulen links.
Police carried out operations in Ankara, İstanbul, Gümüşhane, Osmaniye, Sivas and Afyonkarahisar provinces to round up the suspects. 5 out of 7 were detained at the time of writing. Source
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Turkish military neutralizes 6 terrorists in N.Iraq
Military conducts air operation in northern Iraq's Hakurk region.
The Turkish military "neutralized" six terrorists in northern Iraq, it said on Friday.Turkish authorities often use the word "neutralized" in their statements to imply that the terrorists in question either surrendered or were killed or captured.
In a message posted on its official Twitter account, the Turkish General Staff said the military carried out an air operation in Hakurk region, a PKK stronghold. Source
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51 ISIL suspects detained in Istanbul
At least 51 foreign nationals have been detained in Istanbul for their alleged links to the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), according to a police source on May 25. Anti-terror squads conducted simultaneous raids in 11 districts to apprehend the suspects, who were allegedly plotting terror attacks, said the source, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to restrictions on speaking to the media.
Police also seized organizational documents and digital tools linked to the group. Security forces have been involved in a long-running campaign to clear ISIL militants from Turkey.
More than 300 people lost their lives in ISIL-claimed attacks in Turkey, where the group has targeted civilians in suicide bomb, rocket, and gun attacks. Source
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Over 6,700 terrorist neutralized since 2016 in Turkey
More than 6,700 terrorists have been neutralized during the operations since 2016 across Turkey, according to figures compiled by Anadolu Agency.
Turkish authorities often use the word "neutralized" in their statements to imply that the terrorists in question were either killed, captured or surrendered.
As a part of operations for homeland security conducted by gendarme special forces, gendarmerie commando unit, police special forces across Turkey, over 31,000 operations in 2016, more than 51,000 others in 2017 and over 26,000 in 2018 were launched in rural areas by land and air bodies of Turkish Armed Forces.
Nearly 1,000 shelters in 2016, over 1,800 others in 2017 and 649 till May, 2018, used by terrorists, were destroyed by security forces. In 2016, more than 3,700 terrorists were neutralized, including 719 killed, over 1,500 alive and 506 surrendered while last year, nearly 2,300 terrorists were neutralized, including 1,150 killed, over 500 alive and nearly 500 surrendered during counter-terrorism operations conducted by security forces across the country. Read the full article
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41 more people get aggravated life sentences on coup charges: report
A high criminal court in İstanbul has handed down aggravated life sentences to 41 defendants due to their alleged role in the occupation of the İstanbul Metropolitan Municipality (İBB) building and the killing of 14 people in the incidents there on the night of a failed coup attempt on July 15, 2016.
There were a total of 52 defendants in the trial, which was concluded by the İstanbul 26th High Criminal Court on Friday. The İBB building was one of the places occupied by the putschists where 14 people including Professor İlhan Varank were killed. Varank was the brother of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s advisor Mustafa Varank.
The 41 defendants including former military officers were given aggravated life sentences on charges of attempting to destroy the constitutional order and the murder of 14 individuals. The court ruled for the acquittal of the remaining 11 defendants, all privates, due to a lack of evidence proving their involvement in the coup attempt. İBB Secretary-General Hayri Baraçlı, who spoke to reporters at the end of the hearing, said justice had been served although it was not possible to bring those 14 people back. Read the full article
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Local representative of gov’t-closed aid foundation sentenced to 9 years in jail
Kimse Yok Mu charity foundation’s local representative in Turkey’s Black Sea province of Corum, identified with his initials E.A., has been sentenced to 8 years and 9 months in prison. Corum 2nd High Criminal Court handed over its verdict in a case involving E.A. and 20 others who are accused of having links to the Gulen movement. E.A. was given 8 years plus 9 months in prison on charge of membership to a terror group, media said Friday.
Turkish government accuses the movement of masterminding the July 15, 2016 coup attempt and calls it FETO, short for the alleged Fethullahist Terrorist Organization, while the group denies involvement in the failed attempt and any terror-related acts. E.A. worked as the head of the Kimse Yok Mu office in Corum.
The Kimse Yok Mu Foundation, which was closed down by government decree in the aftermath of a failed coup attempt on July 15, 2016, used to function as the corporate body of aid and relief activities for the Gülen movement. Source
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7 terrorists neutralized in southeast Turkey
Seven more PKK terrorists have been neutralized in southeastern Turkey, according to Turkish military Sunday. Turkish authorities often use the word "neutralized" in their statements to imply that the terrorists in question either surrendered or were killed or captured.
In a statement, the Turkish General Staff said two PKK terrorists who made a bid to attack a border unit were neutralized in Nusaybin, a district of southeastern Mardin province on Saturday.
Separately, five terrorists surrendered to security forces in Silopi district of southeastern Sirnak, said the statement. The surrendered terrorists had reportedly escaped their shelter in northern Iraq. Source
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More terrorists surrender, escape from PKK terror group
Neutralizing a large number of terrorists during security operations and reduction in the number of terrorists joining the ranks of PKK terrorist organizations are splitting apart the PKK terror group.
Security forces continue to fight against terrorism across Turkey, determined to do away with PKK terrorists.
The number of terrorists recruited by PKK terrorist organization to compensate for others killed during the counterterrorism operations is also in decline.
In 2016, 689 terrorists, in 2017, 152 others and in 2018, only 43 joined the ranks of PKK.
The terrorists, who want to get rid of the pressure of the PKK terrorist organization, resort to escaping from the PKK. As a result of this, in 2016, 466 terrorists, in 2017, 429 others surrendered to security forces. A total of 115 terrorists have surrendered to security forces by escaping from the PKK since 2018. Source
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Conscript in 5th day of military service gets 14 life sentences on coup charges
The İstanbul 26th High Criminal Court handed down aggravated life sentences to 41 defendants on Friday, among them Ahmet Özdemir, who was fulfilling his mandatory military service and joined the army only five days before a coup attempt on July 15, 2016.
He was sentenced to 14 aggravated life sentences for the alleged murder of 14 people and 2,420 years in prison for injuring 182 during a raid on the İstanbul Metropolitan Municipality building on the night of the coup.
Journalist Yazgülü Aldoğan shared a letter to her from Özdemir on Sunday, written in April, following the İstanbul court’s Friday decision. In his letter Özdemir claimed that he had been doing his military service for only five days when he was dragged to the municipal building by his superiors, who said a terrorist attack was under way. Read the full article
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545 people detained over Gulen links in past week: data
At least 545 people were detained as part of investigations into the Gülen movement over the past week, according to government data. In a written statement on Monday, the Interior Ministry said 545 people were rounded up in operations targeting the Gülen movement between May 21-28.
Turkish government accuses the movement of masterminding the July 15, 2016 coup attempt while the latter denies involvement. Nearly 150,000 people have been detained and 80,000 arrested over ties to the movement since the summer of 2016. The ministry’s statement also said 7 others were detained over ties to what the government says radical leftist organizations in the past week. Source
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Purge-victim judge put in pre-trial detention on terror charges: report
Sevda Güven, a Turkish judge who has been fired from her job after a coup attempt in 2016, has been put in pre-trial detention in Samsun province over “membership in a terror organization.” Güven and her husband Zeki Güven, a former intelligence officer as staff section chief at Ankara security directorate, were detained during a simultaneous raids carried out by the Eskişehir police on May 22.
Mr. Güven was sent to prison later the same day on charge of membership in the Gülen movement, which is accused by the Turkish government of masterminding a coup attempt on July 15, 2016. According to Kronoshaber news portal, Mrs. Güven was also sent to prison after spending six days in police custody on similar charges.
The couple was reportedly fired from their jobs by decrees issued by the Turkish government after the coup attempt and had been on the run ever since. Source