Timeline Gulen movement/FETÖ April 2019

1 April:

3,244 on trial this month for links to FETÖ, coup attempt

Courts across the country will hold 39 trials this month regarding the crimes of the Gülenist Terror Group (FETÖ) and its July 15, 2016, coup attempt that killed 251 people. A total of 3,244 defendants will be back on the dock in trials in 14 cities, mostly in Istanbul and capital 
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2 April:
FETÖ suspects caught en route to Greece

Three fugitive suspects wanted for ties to the Gülenist Terror Group (FETÖ) were captured Monday near Turkey's border with Greece.

Border troops patrolling the border discovered that three men were trying to sneak into Greece from a village in the northwestern Turkish province of Edirne. The suspects were identified as a former teacher and two court clerks. All had ongoing trials on charges of being members of a terrorist organization and had been released pending trial earlier.
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3 April:
Arrest warrants for suspected FETÖ military infiltrators
The Ankara Chief Prosecutor's Office yesterday issued arrest warrants for 20 military officers accused of having links to the Gülenist Terror Group (FETÖ).

The suspects include a number from the Gendarme General Command staff, 17 of which are on-duty officers.

Prosecutors said the suspects were identified based on the testimony of former gendarme officers detained earlier in operations against FETÖ, which is blamed for using its military infiltrators to carry out the July 15, 2016, coup attempt. These former officers had invoked a remorse law that offers leniency in prison terms in exchange for information about FETÖ's presence in the army.
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4 April:
24 FETÖ suspects captured in Bursa

T wenty-four suspects linked to the Gülenist Terror Group (FETÖ) were detained Wednesday in police operations in the northwestern province of Bursa.

Suspects include three police officers dismissed from law enforcement for their suspected links to the terrorist group and users of ByLock, an encrypted messaging app developed and exclusively used by the terrorist group's members. Operations were underway to capture nine other suspects at large. Security sources said one of the captured suspects was a "secret imam," a term used to describe FETÖ's handlers for the group's infiltrators in law enforcement, the judiciary, bureaucracy and military
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6 April:

More than 33,000 fired from law enforcement for FETÖ links

urkey's top police chief said 33,500 police officers, from chiefs to policemen in lower ranks, were suspended and dismissed from the force for their links to the Gülenist Terror Group (FETÖ). Speaking to Demirören News Agency (DHA), Celal Uzunkaya, director of the National Police, said both before and after the July 15, 2016 coup attempt, 33,500 people were suspended, dismissed or arrested for their affiliations with the terrorist group.

FETÖ is accused of carrying out the 2016 coup attempt through its infiltrators in the military.Uzunkaya also stated that a "legal process" was launched for 240,000 FETÖ suspects in the public sector, and 85,000 of them were arrested. "We don't have a staff shortage due to dismissals. We boosted law enforcement with new hiring," Uzunkaya noted.
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7 April:
Turkey arrests 100 more soldiers over Gülen links

Turkish prosecutors in Ankara on Monday issued arrest warrants for 100 active-duty soldiers of the Turkish Land Forces Command, state-run Anadolu Agency reported . The soldiers are being sought over alleged communications with members of the Gülen movement, which the Turkish government accuses of organising the failed coup in July 2016.

Turkish police on Monday detained some of the suspects in dawn raids in Ankara. Further detentions are in progress, Anadolu Agency said. The Turkish government started a crackdown against the Gülen movement soon after the coup attempt. Thus far more than 150,000 people, including thousands of military officials, have been fired or suspended from their jobs, while tens of thousands of suspected Gülen devotees have fled abroad.
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8 April:

Turkey's former exam body chief arrested in FETÖ operation

Former head of Turkey's student selection and placement center was arrested as part of an operation against the terror group behind the 2016 defeated coup in Turkey, according to a security source on Monday. Twenty-one suspects, including former head of the Student Measuring, Selection and Placement Center (OSYM) Ali Demir, were arrested in an operation countering the Gülenist Terror Group (FETÖ). The OSYM is the organizing body for exams for admissions to several institutions, including universities.

The Ankara prosecutors issued arrest warrant for 34 FETÖ suspects as part of the investigation, according to the source who asked not to be named due to restrictions on speaking to the media. The police unit combatting financial crimes launched simultaneous operations in seven provinces to nab the suspects. Among suspects arrested, nine people were found to be using ByLock, an encrypted cellphone app used by FETÖ coup plotters.

Suspects were the former staff of the Ministry of National Education (MEB). Demir was on trial in a separate investigation for abuse of duty in another FETÖ-related trial about the terrorist group leaking questions and answers to different public exams.

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9 April:

26 sentenced to life over FETÖ's 2016 coup attempt

One of the trials on the July 15, 2016 coup attempt that killed 251 people, concluded Monday with a court in the capital Ankara handing down life sentences to military officers involved. Twenty-three defendants were sentenced to aggravated life imprisonment and three others received lifetime imprisonment for their role in the coup attempt.

The coup attempt, which was first in almost two decades in coup-prone Turkey, saw military infiltrators of the Gülenist Terror Group (FETÖ) trying to seize power. The attempt was thwarted thanks to strong public resistance. One of the icons of this resistance was Ömer Halisdemir, a sergeant who gunned down one of the coup's leaders upon the orders of a general he served as an aide.

Halisdemir was stationed at the headquarters of the Special Forces Command, an elite military unit known for its success in counterterrorism operations. Twenty-six defendants sentenced yesterday were also deployed there. Halisdemir, who was posthumously described as one of the heroes of the anti-coup resistance, was shot dead by another set of putschist soldiers who were accompanying putschist general, Semih Terzi, when the latter arrived at the headquarters to take it over. After the killing of Halisdemir, the headquarters were the scene of a brief conflict between pro-coup and anti-coup military officers who ultimately foiled the takeover attempt. Those standing trial in Ankara were those pro-coup officers stopped by Halisdemir's colleagues.
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10 April:

Dozens detained in a new wave of operations against FETÖ

A new wave of nationwide operations targeting members of the Gülenist Terror Group (FETÖ) was launched Tuesday. Dozens of suspects were detained while operations were underway to detain more. The operations seek to quell the group's ambitions to maintain its clout despite a massive crackdown following FETÖ's July 15, 2016 coup attempt. The coup attempt was a turning point in the fight against the group, which employed its infiltrators in the military to try to overthrow the government after two failed attempts to do so in 2013. Turkey declared a state of emergency following the attempt that killed 251 people and arrested or detained tens of thousands of suspects for links to the terrorist group.

In yesterday's operations, prosecutors in the western city of İzmir, where FETÖ leader Fetullah Gülen made a name for himself as an influential preacher in 1970's, issued arrest warrants for 41 suspects. The suspects included 29 active-duty soldiers who were contacted by FETÖ's "secret imams," a name given to the group's handlers for its infiltrators in the military, law enforcement, judiciary and bureaucracy. Security forces raided several locations in İzmir, Istanbul, the capital Ankara, Adana, Eskişehir, Balıkesir, Kocaeli, Konya, Kayseri, Erzurum, Ardahan, Manisa and Aydın to capture the suspects.
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12 April:

Defendants stick to denial in FETÖ coup attempt trials

Two prominent figures that were in the most critical locations during the 2016 coup attempt have flatly denied their roles in the bid that killed 251 people and are seeking to relieve themselves of responsibility for the incident.

Ramazan Gözel and Mustafa Aydın were two military officers respectively stationed at the office of the Chief of General Staff, the army's headquarters, and at Akıncı air base, which was the heart of the coup attempt blamed on military infiltrators of the Gülenist Terror Group (FETÖ). They testified in yesterday's hearings inside a massive complex housing courtrooms and a prison for terror suspects in Ankara's Sincan district in two separate trials.

Staff Col. Ramazan Gözel was one of the closest figures to then-Chief of Staff Gen. Hulusi Akar as he was serving as his executive assistant when the coup unfolded. He was seen in security camera footage showing putschists taking top generals hostage on July 15, 2016. Gözel was one of the officers helping the putschists and was holding plastic handcuffs ready for Akar after the general's aide put a gun to Akar's head and forced him to accompany them to Akıncı air base, where the chief of staff and other anti-coup military brass were held by coup plotters. Gözel claimed in yesterday's hearing that he was a victim of "a conspiracy" and implied the evidence against him was "fake."
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13 April:

Turkish security forces arrested 75 police officers on Friday over alleged links to the Gülenist Terror Group (FETÖ).
Police sources said 75 FETÖ suspects were arrested in nationwide operations as they were accused of obtaining illicit access to the questions for a police promotion exam in 2010. Ankara prosecutors previously issued arrest warrants for 84 police officers, including 13 currently serving officers, in an ongoing probe. Some 41 were arrested in the capital Ankara during Friday's operations.
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15 April:

FETÖ suspect confesses collecting secret military data

A member of the Gülenist Terror Group (FETÖ) confessed to interrogators that he collected confidential data about the military and supplied it to his superiors in the group, which is blamed for the July 15, 2016 coup attempt. Read the full article

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16 April:

105 acquitted in trial linked to FETÖ

A court in the western city of İzmir acquitted 105 defendants who claimed they were accused of corruption in a case perpetrated by police chiefs linked to the Gülenist Terror Group (FETÖ).

The defendants were detained in operations dubbed "Quarantine" in 2009, and most were civil servants and town council members accused of running a criminal organization, corruption in public tenders and bribery. They pleaded not guilty to the charges and had claimed they were unfairly detained.

The Sixth High Criminal Court in İzmir ruled there wasn't evidence of crimes committed by the defendants and ordered their acquittal. The defendants, including a chief physician from a hospital in İzmir and businesspeople, have been on trial for 10 years and prosecutors had asked for prison terms of up to 1,000 years for each defendant. They were gradually released from detention pending trial during the legal process.
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17 April:

Scores of FETÖ suspects, including soldiers, arrested

Turkish authorities yesterday arrested dozens of Gülenist Terror Group (FETÖ) suspects, including active-duty soldiers, in a number of nationwide operations. FETÖ is accused of orchestrating the July 15, 2016 coup attempt that killed 251 people and has faced an intense crackdown since the coup bid was thwarted.

In yesterday's operations, prosecutors in the capital Ankara ordered the detentions of 48 people, including 26 active-duty soldiers, in an investigation into FETÖ infiltrators into the Land Forces. Some 30 suspects were arrested, and operations were underway to capture the rest of the suspects. The investigation was being carried out in coordination with the Land Forces, whose commander was abducted by the putschists during the coup attempt.

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19 April:

11 sentenced to life for FETÖ's coup attempt in Istanbul

Eleven people, including a former commander of gendarmerie troops in Istanbul, were sentenced to life yesterday for their role in the Gülenist Terror Group's (FETÖ) coup attempt three years ago.

A court in Istanbul handed down life sentences for Col. Gürcan Sercan and other defendants, while 19 other defendants in the case were handed down prison terms of between 12 and 15 years. All were members of the Istanbul command of the gendarmerie forces of the Turkish army and were charged with the coup attempt on July 15, 2016.

22 April:

Marriage catalog shows FETÖ's warped side

A digital archive of potential spouses for members of the Gülenist Terror Group (FETÖ) is the latest evidence of the group's warped cult mindset, imposed on members forced to devote their lives to FETÖ. A catalog of women and men, who were supposed to be matched among members of the group, was found in possession of a FETÖ member tried on terror charges in Istanbul.

The member, identified as E.Ç. was among 48 defendants in a trial related to the group, accused of killing 251 people on July 15, 2016, coup attempt.

When investigators examined a memory card in his possession, they found a large database of people, complete with a spreadsheet and filtering options to narrow down the search for potential spouses. The database contains personal information about FETÖ members, from their position in the group, weight and height, color of their skin to their profession as well as education, character and information about their family.

It also contains information on how long they have been with the terrorist group. Another section of the database is dedicated to the personality of those FETÖ members are supposed to pick among as future spouse. Some in the database are marked as "open-minded" while others are tagged nervous, gentle or adventurous.
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23 April:

Turkey orders detention of 120 as part of post-coup crackdown targeting Gülen movement

Turkish prosecutors on Monday issued detention warrants for 120 people, including members of the military, as part of a post-coup crackdown targeting followers of the faith-based Gülen movement. The Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor’s office ordered the detention of 50 members of the Turkish Land Forces on accusations of Gülen links. According to the state-run Anadolu news agency, at least 34 suspects were taken into police custody.

Thirty-five of the suspects were on active duty, while the remaining soldiers had been suspended because of administrative investigations. They were accused of maintaining contact with the Gülen movement via payphones.Turkey accuses the movement of orchestrating a 2016 coup attempt, although it strongly denies any involvement. The Balıkesir Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office on Monday also issued detention warrants for 45 military members over Gülen links.

Fourteen suspects were detained in police raids across 15 provinces. Meanwhile, police in Çorum detained 24 civilians accused of maintaining a network related to the Gülen movement after the prosecutor’s office issued detention warrants for 25 suspects. Since the abortive putsch, more than 500,000 people have been subjected to prosecution for alleged membership in the movement.
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25 April:

Probe into secretive app nets 16 FETÖ suspects

Sixteen suspects, alleged users of ByLock, an encrypted messaging app exclusively used and developed by Gülenist Terror Group (FETÖ), were captured in operations Wednesday. The suspects were wanted by the chief prosecutor's office in the capital Ankara and manhunt was underway to capture nine other suspects wanted by authorities in the same probe.

Investigations into ByLock started prior to the July 15, 2016 coup attempt by FETÖ's military infiltrators that led to a massive crackdown against the terrorist group. However, they gained significance after the attempt that killed 251 people. Authorities had deciphered messages revealing secret messages pointing to an imminent coup in operations after the putsch bid. The Interior Ministry has announced that 4,676 new ByLock users were detected in the investigation that already identified more than 95,000 users. More than 79,337 people faced legal process in ByLock investigations.

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26 April:

Three FETÖ suspects sentenced in military secrets case

Two judges and a prosecutor linked to the Gülenist Terror Group (FETÖ) were handed prison terms of three to 11 years Thursday in the notorious "Cosmic Room" case by a court in the capital Ankara.

The Cosmic Room refers to a military facility in Ankara where top-secret military documents and data are stored. Mustafa Bilgili, then a prosecutor, had issued a search warrant for the facility in an investigation of an alleged assassination attempt against a politician. His request to personally search the facility was denied by the military, but Judge Kadir Kayan ignored the ban and ordered the search that lasted for 20 days. CDs, documents and hard drives containing top secret documents were taken out of the facility during the investigation.

Kayan, who was later appointed as a member of the Supreme Court, went on the run after the July 15, 2016 coup attempt blamed on FETÖ's military infiltrators. A subsequent investigation into the actions of judges and prosecutors in the case found that they got hold of documents not related to the assassination probe, including preparation plans for any future wars and inner workings of the army.
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26 April:

Turkey orders detention of 210 military members over Gülen links

İstanbul prosecutors have ordered the detention of 210 military personnel over suspected links to the Gülen movement, accused by Ankara of orchestrating a failed coup in 2016, the İstanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office said on Friday, Reuters reported.

It said the suspects from the air, marine and land forces as well as the gendarmerie and coast guard included five colonels, seven lieutenant colonels, 14 majors, and 33 captains.

They are suspected of being supporters of US-based Muslim cleric Fethullah Gülen, who is accused by Turkish authorities of masterminding the failed putsch three years ago. Gülen has denied any role.

More than half a million people have been subjected to prosecution since the coup, and widespread arrests are still routine. Authorities have suspended or sacked some 160,000 civil servants and military personnel.
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26 April:

Popular historian arrested due to Gülen links released pending trial

Popular Turkish historian and author Talha Uğurluel, who was arrested on terrorism charges in December due to his alleged links to the Gülen movement, was released from jail pending trial on Thursday, the Diken news website reported.

Uğurluel delivered his defense at the latest hearing of his trial at the İstanbul 28th High Criminal Court on Thursday in which he faces a prison sentence of between seven-and-a-half and 15 years on charges of membership in a terrorist organization.

In his defense the historian, who frequently used to appear on TV stations affiliated with the Gülen movement, which are now all closed, said he has no links to the Gülen movement although he worked at the Gülen-linked Kaynak Holding and Fatih University.

Uğurluel also claimed that a woman named Beyza T. was the reason for his imprisonment because he turned down her advances for a romantic relationship with him. He said this woman paid money to some news websites to have stories published about him portraying him as linked to the Gülen movement. The court decided to release Uğurluel pending trial, although he faces a travel ban and has to check in at a police station once a week.

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27 April:

Over 140 suspected infiltrators of FETÖ in military, police nabbed

Security forces apprehended 142 military and police officers on Friday in a new wave of nationwide operations targeting the terrorist group FETÖ

The Gülenist Terror Group (FETÖ) faces a new wave of arrests three years after it tried to seize power. Some 142 suspected members of the group working in the military and law enforcement were detained in nationwide operations and a manhunt was underway to detain more when Daily Sabah went to print late Friday.

Among the captured suspected FETÖ infiltrators were five colonels, seven lieutenant-colonels and soldiers in lower ranks. The prosecutor's office issued a statement on its investigation and highlighted that FETÖ carried out the coup attempt with "its cells of two or three members" who had infiltrated into the army that did not know each other's affiliation with the terrorist group, adding that "brothers" or "imams," FETÖ's handlers for military infiltrators, instructed the soldiers they commanded to take action to overthrow the government. The statement underlined that the number of FETÖ infiltrators in the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) was "far higher" than those who joined the putsch bid, and they remain the "biggest threat to constitutional order."

Friday's operations were part of a wider investigation into the group's secretive communications with its infiltrators. Several probes had already been launched into civilian handlers of FETÖ accused of contacting infiltrators through payphones to avoid detection and since 2017, Istanbul prosecutors have issued arrest warrants for 1,963 suspects in touch with the group's handlers. A total of 261 among them remain at large, while 459 captured suspects collaborated with authorities and helped facilitate the capture of 1,045 other suspects linked to the terrorist group.