Evidence shows that key FETÖ suspect visited Gülen in Pennsylvania prior to 2016 coup attempt
Turkey has documented new evidence that a key Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETÖ) suspect, Hakan Çiçek, visited the terror group's leader in the U.S. prior to the coup bid in Turkey, according to judicial sources.
A probe conducted by the Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor’s office shows that Çiçek activated his SIM card at Fetullah Gülen’s home in Pennsylvania.
The Turkish government says FETÖ and its U.S.-based leader Gülen orchestrated the defeated coup of July 15, 2016, which left 251 people martyred and nearly 2,200 injured.
Ankara also accuses FETÖ of being behind a long-running campaign to overthrow the state through the infiltration of Turkish institutions, particularly the military, police, and judiciary.
Last month, Turkish security units found cellphones dumped near an airbase in the capital Ankara which, they said, belonged to FETÖ second-in-command Kemal Batmaz and Çiçek.
The investigation was linked to the Akinci airbase trial, a crucial probe into the coup
The report compiled by security forces says Çiçek first activated the phone on March 7, 2016, and the smartphone recorded the coordinates of the Pennsylvania address as soon as it was activated.
It was determined that Çiçek visited Gülen to plot the coup along with other key suspects Adil Oksuz, Kemal Batmaz, Nurettin Oruc and Harun Binis.
According to another evidence sent by the Turkish Justice Ministry to the U.S. last month, Çiçek spoke to Gülen on a cellphone via a FETÖ member code-named “Eczaci Abdi” (translated Pharmacist Abdi) during and before the defeated coup attempt.
