Timeline Gulen movement/FETÖ May 2019

January	February	March	April
May	June	July	Sept-October
November	December

1-10 May

Date:*

2 May:

64 FETO members get jail terms

They were found guilty of leaking civil service recruitment exam in 2010

Turkish judges on Thursday handed jail terms to 64 people affiliated with the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO), the group behind the 2016 defeated coup, according to judicial authorities. The FETO members were found guilty of leaking the civil service recruitment exam -- also known as KPSS -- in 2010, which they used to help them infiltrate state institutions.

They were given prison sentences varying from six to 15 years. Muhammet Sait Gulen, a nephew of Fetullah Gulen, the ringleader of the terror group, was slapped with a sentence of six years and three months.
------------------------------------------------
2 May:

15 FETO-linked terror suspects arrested

Suspects in northwestern Edirne province were planning to cross to Greece

Turkish security forces on Thursday arrested a total of 15 people for their suspected links to Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO) in the country’s northwest, as they were planning to cross to Greece.

According to gendarmerie command, four suspects were arrested in Doyran village of Edirne province, while the remaining 11 suspects were held in Karayusuf village, only several kilometers away from the Greek border.
--------------------------------------------------

3 May:

FETÖ suspects sentenced for mass exam cheating

Sixty-four suspects, including relatives of key Gülenist Terror Group (FETÖ) figures, were handed down prison terms between six and 15 years for a mass cheating scandal dating back to 2010. Suspects linked to the terrorist group, which is blamed for July 15, 2016 coup attempt, were accused of stealing questions and answers to the 2010 edition of Public Personnel Selection Exam (KPSS), a key test for hiring new civil servants.

It is believed thousands of people linked to the group were given with questions and answers beforehand. The exam results, however, were later rendered void after the scandal was exposed. A court in the capital Ankara charged the suspects both for membership of a terrorist group and fraud
----------------------------------------------

3 May:

26 FETO terror suspects detained

Ankara prosecutors issue arrest warrants for 29 suspects, including active serving soldiers

Turkish security forces on Friday arrested 26 suspects, including active serving soldiers, for their alleged links to the Fetullah Terrorist Organization, the terror group behind the 2016 defeated coup, judicial sources said.

Earlier, prosecutors in the capital Ankara issued arrest warrants for 29 suspects, including a colonel and sergeants as part of probes into the FETO’s clandestine network within the military, said the sources, who asked not to be named due to restrictions on speaking to the media. Out of the 29 suspects, 14 suspects are serving soldiers, they added.

------------------------------------
6 May:

Nearly 1,500 personnel suspended from Turkish forces

879 personnel of land forces, 242 of naval forces, and 375 of air forces suspended from duty. A total of 1,496 personnel with links to Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO) were suspended from the Turkish Armed Forces in the last 10 months.

According to security sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to restrictions on talking to the media, a total of 879 personnel of the land forces, 242 of the naval forces, and 375 personnel of the air forces were suspended from duty by the Turkish National Defense Ministry. Additionally, some 150 retired soldiers' ranks were revoked over FETO links.

---------------------------------------------
7 May:

General, eight others sentenced to life for FETÖ's coup attempt

A former commander of an elite commando brigade was among nine defendants sentenced to life imprisonment for the July 15, 2016 coup attempt. Ahmet Otal, who was leading the Hakkari Mountain and Commando Brigade in the eponymous southeastern province when the coup attempt was unfolding, was sentenced to life. Another defendant was handed down aggravated life imprisonment for the attempt that killed 251 people across Turkey and is blamed on military infiltrators of the Gülenist Terror Group (FETÖ).

All defendants were military officers. The court in Hakkari also handed down prison terms ranging between 12 and 15 years to 10 other defendants.

Ahmet Otal was accused of leading the Hakkari leg of the nationwide coup attempt that was ultimately thwarted thanks to strong public resistance against putschists. The indictment against him includes his correspondence with Semih Terzi, a senior putschist general who instructed him to help with efforts to kidnap İsmail Metin Temel, an anti-coup general. Terzi was killed by Ömer Halisdemir, an officer who received posthumous recognition after killing the latter in the capital Ankara during Terzi's attempt to take over the command of the Special Forces Command of the army. Otal was also accused of coordinating military units in his command to seize power in Hakkari and had threatened police officers who detained him that "his brigade" was ready to take them out. Otal also had a hand grenade in his possession when he decided to surrender to police after the coup attempt was thwarted across the country.

* The date the source published the article.

11-20 May

Date:*

15 May:

FETÖ's military infiltrators detained in new wave of arrests

Thirty-one suspects including three helicopter pilots were arrested yesterday in operations against the Gülenist Terror Group (FETÖ). Police targeted FETÖ's military presence as the terrorist group is accused of employing its infiltrators to carry out a failed coup on July 15, 2016. The Chief Public Prosecutor's Office in the capital Ankara issued arrest warrants for 34 suspects in an investigation into the Turkish Armed Forces' Helicopter Command. A manhunt is currently underway to capture three other suspects.

The investigation focused on 33 military officers and one "imam," a non-military suspect accused of serving as FETÖ's handlers for military infiltrators. Suspects were identified because of their contact with their handler via payphones. Read the full article

18 May:

32 detained in FETÖ operations

Police have detained 32 former and active-duty soldiers linked to the Gülenist Terror Group (FETÖ) in counterterrorism operations on Friday. Suspects were part of a secret military network of the terrorist group whose infiltrators in the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) carried out the July 15, 2016 coup attempt and killed 251 people.

Prosecutors in the northwestern province of Bursa issued arrest warrants for 49 suspects including 25 active-duty soldiers; 32 were arrested when Daily Sabah went to print late Friday. Operations were carried out in 25 provinces to capture the suspects who were identified through their links to FETÖ's non-military handlers

In Istanbul, prosecutors issued arrest warrants for 48 FETÖ suspects on Friday. Suspects were civilians but wanted for controlling military infiltrators of the terrorist group.

20 May:

Turkey issues 249 arrest warrants for foreign ministry exam cheating

The Ankara chief prosecutor’s office issued arrest warrants for 249 foreign ministry staff over alleged exam cheating and suspected links to the clandestine Islamic movement of Fethullah Gülen, which Turkey accuses of masterminding a coup attempt in 2016, opposition newspaper Cumhuriyet reported on Monday.

The authorities said the warrants were ordered when an ongoing crackdown on the Gülen movement revealed that some ministry officials were involved in irregularities during foreign ministry entrance exams between 2010 and 2013, according to Cumhuriyet.

Seventy-eight suspects have been detained so far in operations across 43 provinces and police were searching for the remainder, said the newspaper, citing a prosecution order.

* The date the source published the article

21-31 May

Date:*
21	Over 100 Foreign Ministry staff arrested for FETÖ links Police Monday detained 105 people in an operation against Foreign Ministry staff accused of having links to the Gülenist Terror Group (FETÖ). The suspects were among 249 wanted by the Chief Prosecutor's Office in the capital Ankara. These arrests come three years after the terrorist group tried to seize power with a coup attempt that killed 251 and is the largest single roundup of the ministry's staff. Prosecutors announced that the suspects were wanted in connection with fraud in recruitment exams for the ministry in a probe. The probe focuses on allegations of cheating on civil servant exams for the Foreign Ministry that were held in 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2013, and there are five ongoing, separate investigations into exams and members of the committee that oversaw the exams. Prosecutors also announced that 275 people were assigned various jobs in the ministry after they won those exams. Media outlets reported that only 14 among the wanted suspects were currently working at the ministry, while the rest had been suspended from their posts over alleged ties to FETÖ. A total of 249 suspects had "enough suspicion" requiring the detention, the prosecutor's office said in a statement.
22	Arrest warrants issued for over 200 FETÖ suspects Turkish prosecutors issued yesterday arrest warrants for 214 people with suspected links to the Gülenist Terror Group (FETÖ), the main culprit behind the July 15, 2016, coup attempt. The arrest warrants were issued in a probe for 140 suspects into the terrorist group's clandestine network in the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK), a statement by the prosecutors in the capital Ankara said. Among the suspects, who were found to have communicated with FETÖ's "covert imams" or handlers via payphones, were 41 on active-duty soldiers in the Land, Air and Naval Forces, the statement added. Separately, Istanbul prosecutors issued arrest warrants for 74 more suspects with alleged links to FETÖ. All suspects were wanted for being members of the terrorist group's "IT network," media outlets reported. Security forces carried out operations in 18 provinces for 92 different addresses to capture the suspects.
29	Main trial on FETÖ's coup attempt draws to a close A court in the capital Ankara will soon issue its verdict for 224 defendants in the main trial on the takeover attempt of the Turkish Army's headquarters during the failed coup in July 2016. Military infiltrators of the Gülenist Terror Group (FETÖ) tried to hijack power by taking over the office of the chief of general staff after kidnapping the chief of general staff and other top military brass. In the hearings held yesterday in the capital, the court decided that the final ruling will be issued in the next hearing scheduled for June 20. The hearings have been continuing for weeks as the defendants, who include members of the putschists' "Peace At Home Council," made their final statements. The defense was mixed, as some officers on the dock said they were framed while others claimed what they were only following orders. Col. Murat Korkmaz, who led a battalion of elite Special Forces, was among those "following orders" and claimed he was commanding the soldiers to the army headquarters for a counterterror operation. Ahmet Bican Kırker, a general among the leading putschists, said he would not accept any verdict by the court "other than acquittal." Gökhan Şahin Sönmezateş, the general who was probably the only defendant to admit he was involved in a coup though he rejected having links with FETÖ, said he would not make a final statement. Read the full article
30	Police chiefs jailed over FETÖ plot Forty-one defendants including former police chiefs were handed prison terms by a court in western Turkey's İzmir yesterday for plotting to imprison military officers on behalf of the Gülenist Terror Group (FETÖ). Ninety defendants have been on trial since 2016 for an elaborate scheme to start a sham trial against dozens of military officers. Charges against jailed military officers later turned out to be part of a larger plot to imprison critics of FETÖ whose military infiltrators now stand accused of carrying out the July 15, 2016 coup attempt. Read the full article
31	74 sentenced to life in FETÖ coup attempt trial A trial of helicopter pilots and their commanders who were involved in brutal attacks during the 2016 coup attempt, ended yesterday in the capital Ankara. A total 56 defendants were sentenced to aggravated life imprisonment, while another 18 defendants were handed down life sentences for their involvement in the coup attempt perpetrated by military infiltrators of the Gülenist Terror Group (FETÖ). Some 152 suspects have been on trial since the coup attempt on July 15, 2016 was quelled. They were personnel of the Land Aviation Command of the Turkish Army, the main department of the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK), which serves as the helicopter command. A total of 251 people were killed, and thousands of others were injured when officers aligned with FETÖ tried to seize power at the cost of the lives of civilians who took to the streets to confront them. Read the full article
21 May: Over 100 Foreign Ministry staff arrested for FETÖ links Security forces yesterday rounded up 105 out of 249 Foreign Ministry personnel in the latest operations against FETÖ, the terrorist group behind the 2016 coup attempt that killed 251 people. Police Monday detained 105 people in an operation against Foreign Ministry staff accused of having links to the Gülenist Terror Group (FETÖ). The suspects were among 249 wanted by the Chief Prosecutor's Office in the capital Ankara. These arrests come three years after the terrorist group tried to seize power with a coup attempt that killed 251 and is the largest single roundup of the ministry's staff. A total of 249 suspects had "enough suspicion" requiring the detention, the prosecutor's office said in a statement, citing expert witness reports about cheating on foreign language exams, telephone communication. Read the full article 22 May: Arrest warrants issued for over 200 FETÖ suspects Turkish prosecutors issued yesterday arrest warrants for 214 people with suspected links to the Gülenist Terror Group (FETÖ), the main culprit behind the July 15, 2016, coup attempt. The arrest warrants were issued in a probe for 140 suspects into the terrorist group's clandestine network in the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK), a statement by the prosecutors in the capital Ankara said. Among the suspects, who were found to have communicated with FETÖ's "covert imams" or handlers via payphones, were 41 on active-duty soldiers in the Land, Air and Naval Forces, the statement added. Separately, Istanbul prosecutors issued arrest warrants for 74 more suspects with alleged links to FETÖ. All suspects were wanted for being members of the terrorist group's "IT network," media outlets reported. Security forces carried out operations in 18 provinces for 92 different addresses to capture the suspects.
* The date the source published the article

31 May 2019:

74 sentenced to life in FETÖ coup attempt trial

A court in the Turkish capital handed down life sentences yesterday to 74 former military officers who commanded the military helicopters that killed civilians and bombed strategic locations in the terrorist group FETÖ's 2016 coup attempt

A trial of helicopter pilots and their commanders who were involved in brutal attacks during the 2016 coup attempt, ended yesterday in the capital Ankara. A total 56 defendants were sentenced to aggravated life imprisonment, while another 18 defendants were handed down life sentences for their involvement in the coup attempt perpetrated by military infiltrators of the Gülenist Terror Group (FETÖ).

Some 152 suspects have been on trial since the coup attempt on July 15, 2016 was quelled. They were personnel of the Land Aviation Command of the Turkish Army, the main department of the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK), which serves as the helicopter command. A total of 251 people were killed, and thousands of others were injured when officers aligned with FETÖ tried to seize power at the cost of the lives of civilians who took to the streets to confront them.

Those tried in yesterday's trial were accused of killing 28 civilians and inflicting injuries on 276 others due to shots fired from military helicopters.

Defendants had either personally commanded the helicopters or ordered them to attack places that putschists viewed critical to seizing power. Helicopters fired at the headquarters of the National Intelligence Directorate as well as the Office of Chief of General Staff, the army's main headquarters during the 2016 coup attempt. They dropped bombs and fired assault rifles on civilians who filled the streets around those buildings in a peaceful bid to stop the coup attempt.

Defendants also transported other putschist troops around the capital and took the top military brass, including then Chief of General Staff Hulusi Akar, to Akıncı Air Base after they were taken hostage by putschists. Akar and others were held for hours at the military base, which was the command center of putschists before they were released in the early hours of July 15, 2016.

Uğur Kapan, a colonel and pilot of the helicopter that brought Hulusi Akar to Çankaya Manor after his abductors released him from Akıncı, was among the defendants sentenced in yesterday's hearing. The 17th High Criminal Court handed down 29 instances of aggravated life imprisonment for Kapan, along with a total of 3,932 years in prison for Kapan. Forty-five defendants in the case were handed down prison terms ranging between six years and three months to 18 years.

Most among those who received lesser prison terms were military cadets who were training to be officers when they joined the coup attempt. They denied that they willingly joined the coup attempt and claimed they were just following orders. The court charged them with aiding the violation of the Constitution, the legal term for a military coup. 31 other defendants were acquitted. A separate trial will be held for two fugitive defendants.

Sadullah Abra, a major and helicopter pilot, was among those with the heaviest sentences. He was handed down 25 instances of aggravated life imprisonment, apart from 3,536 years. He piloted a Cobra helicopter on the night of July 15, 2016, and was the pilot who asked the fellow members of his unit to shoot at police trying to stop the putschists. "Fire at anything with a blue lamp on it, shoot the police!" Abra could be heard saying over the radio to fellow helicopter pilots. Abra's wife was also convicted in a separate trial regarding FETÖ.

Col. Oğuz Yalçın and noncommissioned officer İlhan Ocakçıoğlu were sentenced to multiple instances of aggravated life imprisonment for coordinating between superior putschist officers and helicopter pilots as personnel stationed at a air traffic control tower. The indictment against both men quote their radio talk where they can be heard giving coordinates to pilots on targets, from the presidential complex to crowds gathered on streets against putschists.

The trial was among 289 opened following the 2016 coup attempt and was one of about three dozens not concluded until yesterday.

Since the foiled coup attempt, hundreds of military officers and civilians who took part in the bid have been brought to justice. Tens of thousands of people linked to FETÖ were also detained or arrested in the aftermath of the attempt. In the concluded trials, more than 1,950 defendants, ranging from generals to low-ranking officers were sentenced to life and more than 3,100 defendants received varying prison terms for their role in the coup attempt.

The attempt in 2016 came one month before a planned purge of suspected FETÖ infiltrators in the military and was the bloodiest attempt to overthrow the government by the terrorist group, which used its infiltrators in the police and judiciary in 2013 in an attempt to seize power in two separate coup bids.

After the coup attempt was quelled thanks to strong public resistance, more than 100,000 new investigations were opened into the attempt and FETÖ's role in the putsch. Those handed down aggravated life sentences, the heaviest sentence in Turkey after the abolition of the death penalty years ago, have little chance of eligibility for an early release from prison. Among those sentenced to aggravated life imprisonment are 58 generals, 651 officers, 137 noncommissioned officers and four police officers. Fifteen generals, mostly those who were stationed in smaller cities where the coup had less impact, were sentenced to life imprisonment, along with 325 officers and 99 noncommissioned officers.

9 May 2019:

More than 3,100 sentenced in trials over FETÖ's coup attempt

More than 3,100 people were handed down prison sentences so far in the 254 of 289 trials over the FETÖ terrorist group's 2016 coup attempt, which are expected to be concluded by the end of this year

Some 254 out of the 289 trials on the putsch bid ended with heavy sentences for those involved and 35 trials, mostly those with a high number of defendants continue. In the concluded trials, 1,952 defendants, ranging from generals to low-ranking officers were sentenced to life and a total of 3,101 defendants received varying prison terms for their role in the coup attempt.

More than 100,000 new investigations were opened into the attempt and FETÖ's role in the putsch. In trials wrapped up so far, 995 defendants were handed down aggravated life imprisonment sentence. This is the heaviest sentence in Turkey which abolished death penalty years ago. Those sentenced to aggravated life sentence has little chance for eligibility for an early release from prison. Among those sentenced to aggravated life imprisonment are 58 generals, 651 officers, 137 noncommissioned officers and 4 police officers. 15 generals, mostly those who were stationed in smaller cities where the coup had less impact, was sentenced to life imprisonment, along with 325 officers and 99 noncommissioned officers. Read the full article

21 May:

Former soldier gets jail term over FETO link

Turkish security forces hold 19 suspects over ties with FETO, group behind 2016 defeated coup in Turkey

Turkish judges on Tuesday sentenced a former military officer to more than six years for his ties to the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO), the group behind the 2016 defeated coup, according to judicial authorities. Emre Aslan, a former captain in the Turkish Armed Forces, was found guilty of being a FETO member and he was handed 6 years and 3 months of prison sentence.

Separately, Turkish security forces in the Aegean province of Izmir arrested a former police chief on suspicions of being a FETO member. In a separate operation in Izmir, security forces rounded up 13 out of the 17 suspects for their alleged links to FETO, security sources said.

Security forces in the capital Ankara also held 5 out of the 9 suspects sought for being FETO members, security sources said. The suspects were found to have communicated with FETO’s “covert imams” -- senior FETO operatives -- via pay phones.

21 May:

Arrest warrants out for above 200 FETO suspects

Turkish prosecutors have issued arrest warrants for 214 people with suspected links to the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO), the group behind the 2016 defeated coup, a judicial source said Tuesday. Arrest warrants were issued for the suspects as part of a probe for 140 suspects into the terror group's clandestine network in the Turkish Armed Forces, a statement by the prosecutors in the capital Ankara said.

Among the suspects, who were found to have communicated with FETO’s “covert imams” -- a senior FETO member -- via pay phones, were 41 on active-duty soldiers in the Land, Air and Naval Forces, the statement added.
Separately, Istanbul prosecutors issued arrest warrant for 74 more suspects with alleged links to FETO, judicial sources said. Security forces carried out operations in 18 provinces for 92 different addresses.

Timeline Gulen movement/FETÖ May 2019

64 FETO members get jail terms

15 FETO-linked terror suspects arrested

Suspects in northwestern Edirne province were planning to cross to Greece

FETÖ suspects sentenced for mass exam cheating

26 FETO terror suspects detained

Ankara prosecutors issue arrest warrants for 29 suspects, including active serving soldiers

Nearly 1,500 personnel suspended from Turkish forces

General, eight others sentenced to life for FETÖ's coup attempt

FETÖ's military infiltrators detained in new wave of arrests

32 detained in FETÖ operations

Turkey issues 249 arrest warrants for foreign ministry exam cheating

Over 100 Foreign Ministry staff arrested for FETÖ links

Arrest warrants issued for over 200 FETÖ suspects

Main trial on FETÖ's coup attempt draws to a close

Police chiefs jailed over FETÖ plot

74 sentenced to life in FETÖ coup attempt trial

Over 100 Foreign Ministry staff arrested for FETÖ links

Arrest warrants issued for over 200 FETÖ suspects

More than 3,100 sentenced in trials over FETÖ's coup attempt

Former soldier gets jail term over FETO link

Arrest warrants out for above 200 FETO suspects