Timeline Gulen movement/FETÖ March 2019

Turkey issues arrest warrants for 50 people, including 25 soldiers

A Turkish court on Monday issued arrest warrants for 50 people, including 25 active-duty soldiers, for links to the Gülen movement, a religious group Turkey accuses of masterminding the 2016 coup attempt, reported state-run Anadolu Agency. "The warrants were issued by the prosecutor in western Bursa province against suspects believed to be involved with a FETÖ network nested in the Turkish Armed Forces," the news agency said, using the government’s acronym for the movement.

Last month, Turkish authorities issued warrants against 101 soldiers, 67 of whom were on active duty, allegedly linked to the Gülen movement.

More than 30,000 arrested for FETÖ links since the coup bid

The Interior Ministry announced Monday that 30,709 people have been taken into custody for their links to the Gülenist Terror Group (FETÖ) since its members tried to seize power in a coup attempt in July 2016.

Speaking at a press briefing yesterday in the capital Ankara, ministry spokesman İsmail Çataklı said security forces "processed" 511,646 people on FETÖ-related charges over three years following the coup attempt that killed 251 people. "The process" refers to detentions and investigations. A total of 30,709 among them were arrested and are still in custody awaiting hearings in their cases or the start of their trials. Çataklı said another 19,329 people were convicted of FETÖ membership and related crimes. "We continue our fight against FETÖ with determination," the spokesman added.

Former deputy chief justice given 11-year jail sentence over Gülen links

Former deputy president of Turkey’s Constitutional Court Alparslan Altan has been handed down a prison sentence of 11 years, three months on terrorism charges due to his alleged links to the Gülen movement, the T24 news website reported on Wednesday. Altan was given the jail sentence on charges of membership in an armed terrorist organization.

The Turkish government accuses the Gülen movement of masterminding a failed coup on July 15, 2016 and labels it a “terrorist organization,” although the movement strongly denies involvement in the coup attempt or any terrorist activity.

Altan was detained just one day after the coup attempt and was subsequently arrested.

During Wednesday’s hearing, held at the Regional Court of Justice at the 9th Criminal Chamber of the Supreme Court of Appeals, where other judicial members who were also removed from their posts in the aftermath of the coup attempt are standing trial, Altan denied the charges, saying there is no concrete evidence against him. The former judge asked for his acquittal. The court still handed down the lengthy jail sentence.

Former top judge sentenced over FETÖ links

lparslan Altan, former deputy chief judge of the Constitutional Court, was sentenced to 11 years and three months in prison yesterday for membership in the Gülenist Terror Group (FETÖ). FETÖ is blamed for the July 15, 2016 coup attempt and Altan was among a large number of judiciary members dismissed from their jobs and subsequently arrested in the aftermath of the putsch bid.

Tried by a chamber of the Supreme Court in the capital Ankara, Altan denied to links to the terrorist group, which is known for its widespread infiltration into law enforcement, the judiciary, military and bureaucracy. The court said he was sentenced to 13 years in prison but the sentence was reduced due to his "good conduct" during the hearings.

Fight against FETÖ at home, abroad continues without compromise

Soylu also added that more than 500,000 suspected FETÖ members have been detained since the coup attempt, and 30,821 FETÖ members have been arrested.

In Ankara, 39 suspects were remanded in custody over an ongoing FETÖ probe. Meanwhile, 85 FETÖ suspects were brought to Ankara Courthouse by order of the Chief Public Prosecutor's Office.Read the full article

Police arrest 11 in FETO operation in Turkish capital

Arrests include public officials among 44 pursued by security forces for allegedly using ByLock app.
At least 11 suspects were arrested in Ankara on Wednesday over suspected links to the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO), according to security sources who spoke on condition of anonymity.

The arrests came after prosecutors issued a warrant for 44 suspects -- including public officials -- over alleged links to FETO.

According to a statement from judicial authorities, the suspects were found to be using ByLock, an encrypted cellphone app used by FETO coup plotters. Operations to arrest the remaining suspects are ongoing.

130 detained in nationwide operations against FETÖ

Security forces detained 130 suspects linked to the Gülenist Terror Group (FETÖ) in nationwide operations Tuesday. The operations are part of a crackdown that started following FETÖ's foiled coup attempt on July 15, 2016, that killed 251 people.

In the western city of İzmir, 42 suspects were captured in operations targeting the group's attempts to revive its cells. Police raided safe houses where suspects were hiding; some suspects were injured as they jumped from safe house windows to flee the police. Other suspects were caught while formatting their cellphones used for communication with fellow FETÖ members. Security sources said suspects included high-ranking members of the group and handlers for the group's infiltrators in public institutions. Searching the safe houses, police found envelopes full of cash, which would be distributed to group's members as well as encrypted cellphones and computers. In another operation, police in nine cities captured 41 former police officers linked to the group after the chief prosecutor's office in the southern city of Adana issued arrest warrants for suspects. Suspects were earlier dismissed from law enforcement for their suspected links to the group. Operations were underway to capture 17 others with outstanding arrest warrants.

Turkish court sentences FETÖ-linked firm lawyer to 12 years in prison

A court in Turkey sentenced a lawyer for Kaynak Holding, a conglomerate accused of funding the Gülenist Terror Group (FETÖ), to 12 years in prison over links to the terrorist group. Istanbul's 33rd High Criminal Court issued its final verdict Wednesday, handing down the prison sentence to Hürol Karadaş for "membership in an armed terrorist organization."

The defendant was acquitted from charges of "attempting to disrupt the constitutional order" due to deficiency of definitive and convincing evidence, but was convicted and sentenced to eight years for "being a member of an armed terrorist group" and "founding and leading an armed terrorist group."

The court board ruled for an additional four years on the grounds that the offenses were terrorism related and called for the Public Prosecutor's Office in Istanbul to file a criminal complaint against the defendant for "making propaganda for a terrorist organization," based on evidence obtained from social media accounts belonging to Karadaş. The prosecutor in charge of the case said that the defendant had a ByLock account – an encrypted messaging app believed to be developed by members of FETÖ – and that his account balance had increased greatly in Bank Asya – the bank that acted as terror group's money launderers – on orders given by the terror group.

Gülenists brought in from Kosovo face jail

Prosecutors in Istanbul accused six suspected members of the Gülenist Terror Group (FETÖ), who were captured in March 2018 in Kosovo, of membership in a terrorist group and international espionage. The suspects, who were brought to Turkey face prison terms up to 28 years. Read the full article

Prosecutor aiding FETÖ sentenced to 10 years in prison

A former prosecutor, who is known for vindicating Gülenist Terror Group (FETÖ) leader Fetullah Gülen, has been sentenced to 10 years and six months in prison for being a member of the group. İsmail Aksoy was on trial at an Istanbul court on charges of aiding FETÖ and membership of the group, which is blamed for July 15, 2016 coup attempt.

Aksoy had closed an investigation into Gülen in 2014, months after the group emerged as a national threat with two coup attempts in 2013. Aksoy cited "non-prosecution" for Gülen, though he was not officially authorized to supervise the case regarding the terrorist group's leader. He dodged prosecution for his decision at the time but was on trial again following the 2016 coup attempt.

15 sentenced to life for FETÖ's first coup bid

Fifteen defendants were handed down to aggravated life sentence by an Istanbul court Monday for trying to overthrow the government in a case related to the notorious Dec. 17, 2013 plot. The plot was the first bid by the Gülenist Terror Group (FETÖ), which is behind multiple coup attempts, to topple the government.

Defendants including former police chiefs Yakub Saygılı, Kazım Aksoy, Yasin Topçu and Nazmi Ardıç were handed down the heaviest sentences under Turkish law while the court ruled to hold a separate trial for fugitive defendants including FETÖ leader Fetullah Gülen. Only six people were in jail for the 2013 attempt while others were either released pending trial or have been on the run.

Arrest warrants issued for 36 FETÖ suspects

Authorities Wednesday issued arrest warrants for 36 suspects over alleged links to the Gülenist Terror Group (FETÖ), which is accused of orchestrating the July 15, 2016 coup attempt.

Turkish security forces launched simultaneous operations in 13 provinces across the country as part of a probe launched by prosecutors in the central Kayseri province against suspects. Suspects included 22 on-duty military officers. The probe was looking into FETÖ's infiltration into the Turkish Armed Forces. The arrest warrants were issued for the suspects for allegedly having contact with "covert imams" of the terror group by payphone. "Covert imam" is a term used for FETÖ's secret handlers for its infiltrators.

Court orders harsher sentence for FETÖ's high-profile putschist

Turkey's Court of Cassation ordered a longer prison term for Ali Yazıcı, a former aide-de-camp of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, for his role in the assassination bid targeting Erdoğan during the 2016 coup attempt.

The court announced final verdicts on Friday in a case regarding the assassination attempt on Erdoğan that was narrowly avoided when soldiers loyal to the Gülenist Terror Group (FETÖ) sought to seize power. Yazıcı was among the 37 defendants sentenced earlier by a lower court in Muğla where the assassination attempt took place. The top court said in its ruling that an 18-year prison term for Yazıcı was "low," and he should be given a heftier sentence as "a main perpetrator" of the crime. Read the full article

40 detained in probe into FETÖ's military infiltrators

Forty suspects were detained Monday in nationwide operations against the inflitration of military institutions by the Gülenist Terror Group (FETÖ). Police launched operations after the chief prosecutor's office in the southern city of Adana issued arrest warrants for 51 suspects, including 41 active-duty military officers, for their links to the group.

FETÖ is accused of carrying out the July 15, 2016 coup attempt that killed 251. Suspects were detected through their secret contacts with FETÖ members. A manhunt was underway to capture the remaining suspects in the investigation. The Interior Ministry recently announced that more than 30,709 people have been taken into custody for their links to FETÖ since the 2016 coup attempt. Another 19,329 people have been convicted of FETÖ membership and related crimes. The terrorist group led by Fetullah Gülen, a U.S.-based former preacher, is accused of employing its infiltrators in the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) to overthrow the government. Strong public resistance upon calls by the country's leaders thwarted the ambitions of the Peace At Home Council of putschists, who were forced to surrender within hours after they seized strategic locations, launched airstrikes and tried to assassinate President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.

More than 1,000 soldiers dismissed over FETÖ links

Some 1,164 military personnel have been sacked for their suspected links to the Gülenist Terror Group (FETÖ) since Turkey lifted its two-year state of emergency on July 18, 2018, according to security sources.

The state of emergency came into force after the July 15, 2016 coup attempt by FETÖ. Some 601 land forces personnel, 188 naval forces personnel and 375 air force personnel have been dismissed and 106 retired soldiers have been stripped of their ranks, said the sources, who asked not to be named due to restrictions on talking to the media.

Investigations continue into personnel who may be affiliated with FETÖ in command headquarters, and other institutions of the National Defense Ministry, the sources added