Politics
Officers remain on run years after FETÖ’s coup attempt in Türkiye
Burkay Karatepe’s capture, 10 years after the Gülenist Terror Group’s (FETÖ) coup attempt, has revived hopes for justice for the victims. Still, several generals and other senior officers involved in the coup attempt remain elusive.
Karatepe, an army captain, was the last member of the assassination team that plotted to kill or capture President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan during the president’s stay at a hotel in southwestern Türkiye to be captured by authorities. The persistent pursuit of Karatepe, who was caught on security cameras in western Türkiye, paid off last week. Türkiye is now focused on bringing more putschists to justice, although some are believed to have fled the country after the coup attempt was foiled by public resistance.
Among them is Ali Kalyoncu, a member of the putschists’ so-called Peace at Home Council, which would have governed the country had the coup succeeded. Brig. Gen. Kalyoncu headed the Human Resources Department at the Land Forces Command at the time of the coup attempt. He was slated to become commander of a brigade and deputy commander of the coup plotters’ “martial law command.” Kalyoncu was among the generals who attended a coup planning meeting four days before FETÖ attempted to seize power.
On the night of the coup attempt, Kalyoncu, together with former Maj. Gen. Osman Ünlü, who, like him, was a member of the so-called Peace at Home Council and had been designated commander of the 4th Corps in the coup plotters’ assignment list, went to the 4th Corps Command and the 28th Mechanized Infantry Brigade Command at Eşref Akıncı Barracks and seized control of the facilities.
On Kalyoncu’s orders, tanks commanded by coup plotters were dispatched to seize the Office of the Chief of the General Staff, the Turkish military’s headquarters. He also sent tanks to seize the Ankara Provincial Police Headquarters and ordered a lieutenant colonel to reinforce other putschists attempting to take over the Gendarmerie General Command.
According to court records, Kalyoncu also instructed troops confronting civilians attempting to stop armored personnel carriers and other military vehicles, saying: “No civilians are to be allowed to climb onto the armored personnel carriers or any other vehicles. Intervene immediately and remove them.” As a result of this order, 16 people, including police officers, were killed and 265 others were wounded. Kalyoncu is also wanted on charges of violating the constitutional order and attempting to assassinate the president, as well as responsibility for the deaths of 250 people and the injuries of 2,686 others during the failed coup attempt.
Former Brig. Gen. Mehmet Nail Yiğit commanded a brigade stationed in Istanbul during the coup attempt. He was appointed by the putschists to head Istanbul’s martial law command. He was also tasked with detaining several politicians opposed to the coup. Acting on his orders, coup plotters attempted to seize several key locations in Istanbul, including Atatürk Airport, the Istanbul Provincial Police Headquarters, and the headquarters of pro-government broadcaster A Haber and the Sabah newspaper, sister outlets of the Daily Sabah. After the coup attempt failed, Yiğit went into hiding and has not been heard from since.
Former Rear Adm. Ayhan Bay, who commanded the Northern Task Group of the Turkish Naval Forces Command, sought to use the warships under his command to support the coup. He also ordered naval vessels to bombard coastal areas. Bay was among the users of ByLock, the encrypted messaging application developed for and exclusively used by FETÖ members. Investigators determined that he used the code name “Abdurrahman” while communicating through the application with FETÖ’s civilian “imams,” who supervised the organization’s military infiltrators. He was aboard a naval vessel when he realized the coup had failed. After disembarking in the northwestern province of Kocaeli, he disappeared.
Former Vice Adm. Mustafa Zeki Uğurlu was serving on a NATO assignment in the United States during the coup attempt. He never returned to Türkiye and instead remained in the United States. Uğurlu has also been identified as one of the perpetrators behind the military espionage conspiracy cases centered in Izmir and is accused of facilitating the transfer of classified Turkish Armed Forces information to FETÖ leader Fetullah Gülen. He is wanted on charges including attempting to overthrow the constitutional order and membership in an armed terrorist organization.
Former Rear Admiral Ali Suat Aktürk, who served as head of the Force Development and Resource Management Department at the Office of the Chief of the General Staff during the coup attempt, was designated by the coup plotters to become governor of the Central Bank of Türkiye if the coup had succeeded. He disappeared after the coup attempt failed.
Former Staff Col. Ilhami Polat, who served as chief of staff of the Turkish Military Academy, detained Military Academy Commander Maj. Gen. Izzettin Çetingöz and directed coup-related activities at the academy.
Following the coup attempt, his wife, Judge Suzan Polat, became a cooperating witness in the investigation into her own FETÖ membership. She stated that her marriage had been arranged by FETÖ, which was known to choose spouses for infiltrators in key positions in order to maintain control over them.
According to her testimony, her husband told her that he would either surrender or flee.
“Ilhami dropped me off at a taxi stand near the metro station. I never saw him again,” she said.
Suzan Polat also stated that during their final meeting, after saying, “Forgive me,” her husband added, “The order came from above. Fetullah Gülen gave the order.”
Former Brig. Gen. Mehmet Zeki Kıralp, who was serving at the Gülhane Military Medical Academy (GATA) during the coup attempt, reportedly received his general’s rank insignia personally from Fetullah Gülen, who spent decades placing loyalists within the Turkish military. Kıralp also disappeared after the failed coup.
Serhat Pasha, a retired noncommissioned officer who had served as aide-de-camp to then-Chief of the General Staff Hulusi Akar until retiring two months before the coup attempt, and Şener Doğrugören, who was serving as Akar’s aide-de-camp during the coup, participated in the detention of Hulusi Akar and then-Land Forces Commander Salih Zeki Çolak and in the seizure of the General Staff Headquarters while dressed in civilian clothes.
Although they held only the rank of noncommissioned officer, investigators allege that both men issued orders to FETÖ members who outranked them. Both fled after the coup attempt was suppressed.
Former Major Mehmet Murat Çelebioğlu, who also remains at large, was one of the key figures behind the Istanbul branch of the coup attempt. He coordinated the coup plotters through a WhatsApp group he created called “Yurtta Sulh Biziz” (“We Are Peace at Home”).
Another fugitive, Ahmet Zeki Gerehan, ordered putschists to seize the headquarters of broadcaster CNN Türk after President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan addressed the nation through a live video call. Gerehan sought to cut off the broadcasts of CNN Türk and its sister channel Kanal D by dispatching troops to the stations. He also organized troops attempting to seize the Istanbul Governor’s Office. An indictment against Gerehan alleges that he ordered soldiers under his command to fire on civilians resisting the coup. After the coup attempt was thwarted, Gerehan disappeared. A search of his home uncovered detailed notes listing locations the coup plotters planned to seize.
Türkiye extended condolences to the people of Nigeria on Monday and said that it is “deeply saddened” over a deadly military aircraft crash in its Ondo state.
“We are deeply saddened by the loss of lives resulting from the crash of a military aircraft today in Ondo state of Nigeria,” the Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
The statement also offered the nation’s condolences to those who lost their relatives in the accident and to the people of Nigeria.
A military helicopter crashed in the southwestern state of Ondo on Monday, according to Jimoh Abayomi, public relations officer for the state police.
Abayomi said an investigation into the accident had been launched and that security forces had been deployed to the crash site.
Nigerian Aviation Minister Festus Keyamo told reporters that the helicopter crashed near the Igbokoda Naval Base.
He said 25 passengers and seven crew members were on board, adding that the wreckage had been located and search and rescue operations in the area are ongoing.
Keyamo did not provide any information on casualties or injuries from the crash.
However, media reports quoted the African country’s president, Bola Tinubu, as saying that all 32 people on board lost their lives.
The crash was seen as one of the worst air disasters in recent years in Africa’s most populous country.
“The president extends his deepest condolences to the family of the 25 passengers and seven crew members involved,” Tinubu’s office said in a statement.
A video circulating on social media showed a small crowd gathered near a river while rescuers searched the area by boat.
The president said he had “directed the Nigerian Air Force to immediately commence a thorough investigation into the cause of the crash to prevent future occurrences.”
Three suspects, including a former deputy head of Türkiye’s Financial Crimes Investigation Board (MASAK), have been jailed as part of an investigation into alleged political or military espionage involving the agency’s financial intelligence systems.
Former MASAK Deputy Chair Inönü Akgün Alp and agency employees Eda Aydoğan and Güner Eke were arrested as authorities investigate alleged unauthorized access to MASAK’s Integrated Financial Intelligence System, known as EMIS.
The Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office is investigating claims that individuals and companies linked to the Gülenist Terror Group (FETÖ) gained influence over the development and maintenance of MASAK’s critical digital infrastructure between 2012 and 2018.
According to findings cited in the investigation, Aydoğan, a former MASAK statistician, allegedly had administrator-level access to an Oracle Exadata database between 2016 and 2019 despite holding no managerial position.
The investigation also found that a security mechanism designed to alert senior officials when financial information belonging to politically exposed persons was accessed was disabled on Sept. 2, 2016.
Investigators allege that thousands of unauthorized searches involving President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, members of his family and some Cabinet officials were subsequently conducted through EMIS between September 2016 and December 2018.
Financial investigations by police and cybercrime units also uncovered alleged links between FETÖ and subcontracted technology companies responsible for MASAK’s software infrastructure and database management.
Türkiye’s Savings Deposit Insurance Fund (TMSF) was appointed as trustee to several technology companies, whose partners included Hakan Çiçek, group’s civilian imam accused of playing a key role in the 2016 coup attempt detained at Akıncı Air Base, as well as other FETÖ operatives.
According to official reports cited in the investigation, the companies channeled TL 210 million ($4.3 million) to the group through public contracts.
Investigators also found that audit logs designed to record who accessed the systems had been disabled and identifying data deleted. The network is accused of erasing digital traces of unauthorized access involving senior government officials, including the president.
Investigators further allege that audit logs identifying users accessing the systems were disabled or deleted, making it more difficult to trace unauthorized searches.
Separately, witness testimony included in the case file alleges Aydoğan was involved in distributing questions ahead of a 2013 public personnel examination to individuals linked to FETÖ.
Türkiye will host the multinational Nusret-2026 Invitation Exercise from Oct. 6-16 in the Gulf of Izmir and off the coast of Karadeniz Ereğli, the Defense Ministry said Sunday.
The exercise will bring together Turkish forces, as well as military personnel and assets from allied and partner countries, with 20 ships, five aircraft and unmanned systems, the ministry said.
Participants will include units from the Turkish Naval Forces, Air Force and Coast Guard Command, as well as NATO’s Standing Mine Countermeasures Group 2 (SNMCMG-2), comprising assets from Germany, Greece, Italy, Spain and Türkiye.
The Black Sea Mine Countermeasures Task Group, known as MCM Black Sea, with units from Bulgaria, Romania and Türkiye, will also participate.
Explosive ordnance disposal and autonomous underwater vehicle teams from the United States, Belgium, the Netherlands, Kuwait, Romania and Oman will participate in the drills, while 32 military observers from a number of countries will attend.
According to the ministry, the exercise is aimed at improving the participating units’ capabilities in the planning, execution and assessment of mine warfare operations.
It also seeks to enhance interoperability among mine warfare units from different countries and strengthen their ability to conduct coordinated multinational operations.
Türkiye most recently conducted the Sea Wolf-I/2026 (“Denizkurdu-I/2026”) Exercise from Sept. 20-25 in the Black Sea, Aegean Sea and Eastern Mediterranean, with 100 ships, 50 aircraft and 14,000 personnel taking part.
The growing rift between the main opposition New Party (YP) and the former main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) manifested in Muğla, a southwestern city home to world-famous Bodrum and other top tourism destinations. A local CHP official suggested that Mayor Ahmet Aras should face disciplinary proceedings for his contacts with YP.
YP was formed in July by Özgür Özel, the former chair of CHP. Özel was removed from office by a court ruling over allegations of vote-buying during a 2023 intra-party election that brought him to power. He was replaced by his predecessor Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu. Kılıçdaroğlu’s return sparked a bitter row with supporters of Özel, who accused him of betraying the party by accepting the court’s request for his reinstatement. Özel initially appealed the verdict but decided to form the new party after receiving overwhelming support among CHP lawmakers.
Under Kılıçdaroğlu, CHP began what it called a “cleansing” process, expelling several figures accused of corruption. The new administration has been more muted about the fate of members openly supporting Özel while several mayors resigned from the party and remain independent, leaving the door open for a future switch to YP.
Aras, who was Bodrum mayor for CHP before his election as Muğla Metropolitan Municipality mayor in the 2024 elections, faces accusations of cooperating with YP while remaining in CHP. CHP’s local branch was angered when Aras temporarily handed over his duties to a YP municipal assembly member in Muğla during a recent visit to Syria. Aras also reportedly ceased contact with CHP’s Muğla branch.
Aziz Gürsoy, head of CHP’s disciplinary board in Muğla, told the Sabah newspaper that Aras has almost severed all ties with CHP.
“It is neither ethical nor legitimate for Mr. Aras to remain in the CHP under the current conditions. In fact, I believe there is bad intent here. He needs to be expelled immediately. Even during his trips abroad, he leaves the municipality (to YP). He has no communication with us. He no longer has any emotional or organic ties to the CHP,” Gürsoy stated.
Stating that they will protect the institutional structure of the CHP under all conditions and that no one is above the party, Gürsoy said: “The current picture creates serious concern among the CHP base. If this situation continues, as the president of the provincial disciplinary board, I will personally apply to headquarters for Mr. Aras’s expulsion. We will not hesitate to take any step necessary to protect the rights, rules and institutional structure of the CHP.”
According to the CHP bylaws, metropolitan mayors can only be referred to the High Disciplinary Board upon the request of the Party Assembly.
The name of Lütfü Türkkan, a lawmaker from the opposition Good Party (IP), came up in an investigation into judiciary officials accused of taking bribes. Prosecutors in Istanbul separated the case of Türkkan and referred it to Ankara on Monday for further investigation.
The Bakırköy Chief Prosecutor’s Office in Istanbul has recently ordered the arrest of eight suspects in an investigation into judges accused of taking bribes in exchange for verdicts in favor of defendants in some cases. The investigation specifically focused on a former judge working at the Court of Enforcement who was accused of receiving millions of Turkish liras in bribes.
Suspects in the case are also accused of running a criminal organization apparently thriving on bribes. Authorities are now looking into cases handled by several Istanbul courts between 2022 and 2024, on suspicion that some businesspeople, politicians and lawyers sought to influence trials and get verdicts in their favor in exchange for bribes, employing judges and court staff. In connection with the case, the Board of Judges and Prosecutors suspended five people, including judges and prosecutors.
In one instance of the suspicious cases, investigators are looking into the claim that M.Ş. and Y.A., identified only through their initials, served as mediators in a case involving lawmaker Türkkan and secured a verdict in favor of the lawmaker, reports by Turkish media outlets say.
In a social media post on Sunday, Türkkan rejected claims, though he acknowledged that a case he was party to was handled by one of the arrested judges. He said that being a party to a trial involving the suspect did not mean that he should be associated with “allegations (of bribery).” He said his lawyers were looking into the case and he never met the judge in person during the trial.
Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan will be joined by National Defense Minister Yaşar Güler and Chief of General Staff Selçuk Bayraktaroğlu on a visit to Saudi Arabia’s Riyadh on Monday.
They will attend a meeting of the Strategic Political and Defense Committee of the historic Mecca Joint Defense Alliance, formed by Türkiye, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan in August. The meeting comes amid rising threats to Saudi Arabia by the Houthis in Yemen.
Foreign Ministry sources said on Sunday that Fidan would reaffirm Türkiye’s strong solidarity with and support for Saudi Arabia in the face of Houthi attacks and underline that provocative acts targeting sacred sites are unacceptable. Saudi Arabia is the birthplace of Islam and home to its most sacred site, the Kaaba, located in Mecca. Mecca has recently come under fire from the Houthis.
The Houthi group said on Saturday that it targeted Saudi oil company Aramco in Riyadh with ballistic missiles and drones in response to attacks on the Yemeni capital, Sanaa.
The operation “successfully achieved its objective,” causing fires at the targeted sites, Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree said in a televised statement.
Saree added that Sanaa and other provinces had been subjected to 60 airstrikes over the last 24 hours, bringing the total number of strikes to 1,420. He attributed the attacks to Saudi Arabia.
The spokesperson warned that the group would respond to “blockade with blockade, and escalation with escalation.”
Meanwhile, Turki al-Maliki, spokesperson for the Saudi-led coalition supporting Yemen’s government, said in remarks carried by Saudi media, including Asharq Al-Awsat, that Houthi claims of targeting Riyadh on Saturday were “misleading.”
He added that the Houthis were trying to “divert attention from the scale of their losses and growing public anger over the militias’ conduct and their ties to foreign agendas that have brought chaos and destruction to Yemen.”
Since March 2015, Saudi Arabia has led a military coalition supporting Yemen’s internationally recognized government against Houthi forces, which have controlled Sanaa and several other governorates since September 2014.
In July this year, the Houthis announced a naval blockade on Saudi Arabia, saying the move was in response to a Saudi naval and air siege on areas under their control in Yemen. The group has since targeted energy infrastructure in the kingdom.
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Pakistani Prime Minister Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif and Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud signed the Mecca agreement for joint defense in Mecca on Aug. 7, 2026. The agreement aims to bolster the security of Türkiye, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia through joint deterrence and defense, and reflects the three countries’ commitment to developing regional solutions to regional issues and their shared strategic vision centered on regional security and stability.
A Strategic Political and Defense Committee, comprising the foreign and defense ministers and chiefs of general staff of the three countries, was established to guide activities under the agreement. The committee held its inaugural meeting in Istanbul on Aug. 31, 2026. At the meeting, foundational decisions were adopted, and technical work toward institutionalizing the alliance was reviewed. Accordingly, the alliance’s secretariat is expected to be established in Riyadh as soon as possible. Retired Pakistani Lt. Gen. Nauman Mahmood has been nominated to serve as its first secretary-general.
The foreign ministers of the three countries held a meeting in New York on Sept. 24, 2026, on the sidelines of the High-Level Week of the 81st United Nations General Assembly. Regional developments were discussed at the meeting. In a joint statement issued afterward, the three countries condemned attacks targeting the holy city of Mecca and Saudi Arabia’s civilian and economic infrastructure. The chiefs of general staff of the three countries met in Riyadh on Sept. 25, 2026.
Turkish sources said Fidan would convey Türkiye’s views on the next steps for the alliance and its institutionalization process. He will also offer Türkiye’s assessment of threats to peace and stability in the Middle East and views on regional developments related to the joint security of the allies. He is also expected to highlight how the alliance’s progress in a short time has proved valuable for the prospects of lasting stability in the region, as well as the importance of the alliance both in building capacity for a joint and efficient response to existing threats and in preventing regional crises.
Fidan is also expected to underline the prioritization of peaceful means to resolve conflicts in the region and the need to avoid steps that may escalate tensions. He will also stress the importance of ensuring the freedom and security of navigation on international trade routes and discuss how Israel has continued to undermine efforts for regional peace and stability.
In an interview last month, Fidan said the alliance had reached an advanced stage, with efforts underway to establish its headquarters and assign personnel, describing the initiative as a “very game-changing platform.” Fidan also implied that Türkiye stood ready to provide technical assistance to Saudi Arabia amid an escalating conflict with the Houthis in Yemen.
Fidan stated that there is “a very strong will” behind the alliance and that Ankara is working to turn that political will into action.
“The Mecca alliance is really at a good stage. There’s a very strong will that has been put forward. We’re working with all our strength to put this will into action,” Fidan told broadcaster NTV last month.
He said steps toward institutionalizing the alliance are underway, particularly work to establish a secretariat envisaged under the agreement and a military headquarters affiliated with it. He added that detailed preparations for both structures have “almost been completed” and that the three countries have reached a common understanding of how they will operate.
“There are steps currently being taken toward institutionalization. In particular, the work on establishing the secretariat mentioned in the agreement and bringing an affiliated military headquarters into operation is almost complete. We have reached a common understanding. From now on, the remaining stage is to send personnel and make the headquarters operational. I am pleased with the process on this issue,” Fidan said.
He said that once institutionalization steps are completed, talks could be held with the other two founding countries on admitting new members.
“There is such a principle decision because our president said this from the beginning. If this does not grow, then it would not be an alliance area. We would have created a bloc. Our regional vision is for as many countries in the region as possible to come together and establish a common defense area.
“This defense area is not against outsiders; it is about solving problems within the region better through regional ownership and creating an environment of trust that has not existed before, in order to prevent new crises from emerging. The basic point of departure for all of this is the search for regional solutions to regional problems,” Fidan said.
He stressed that the alliance was not intended to create a new regional bloc against other countries but to establish a common defense framework based on regional ownership.
“It is an alliance open to the countries of the region,” he said.
-
Economy2 days agoRevolut: $115 billion fintech taking on Europe’s biggest banks
-
Economy2 days agoGlobal M&A deal rush slowed down in Q3 as borrowing costs bite
-
Economy17 hours agoBrazilian assets rally as Flavio Bolsonaro tops first-round vote
-
Economy21 hours agoTürkiye’s Halkbank after secondary offering amid strong interest: CEO
-
Politics1 day agoMP hints at more access for Öcalan amid terror-free Türkiye bid
-
Economy3 days agoEgypt’s Sisi calls for peaceful solutions to Africa’s conflicts
-
Economy2 days agoACE BPSC 2026 summit to be held this week in Istanbul
-
Sports2 days agoMarked by teen stars, marred by mishaps: 2026 Asian Games end