Is there any doubt in anyone's mind in Turkey that the Gülenist Terror Group (FETÖ) did not try to take over power through a bloody coup attempt on July 15, 2016?

The answer is a big "NO"!

It is very clear that it took years of planning and meticulous preparations that included systematically infiltrating all state offices as well as the judiciary, the military and the police force as the Gülen group transformed into a well-organized terrorist outfit ready to take over the state.

The group hid behind the cloak of Islam, benevolence, kindness and education to get well into the Turkish social structure and mislead the masses as well as those in power in Turkey. They have used the same tactics throughout the world and managed to create strong roots in many countries including the United States and Germany.

So on July 15, 2016 they decided to mobilize their "assets" embedded in the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) and executed a well-planned coup that failed simply because the Turkish people refused to bow to the coup plotters. After an appeal by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan the Turkish masses flocked into the streets to brave tanks, armored vehicles, helicopter gunships and F-16 fighters and foiled the coup attempt.

The military perpetrators of the coup attempt were caught red-handed. Some of their civilian accomplices were rounded up and now face justice. At least 150,000 people suspected of being affiliated to the terrorist gang were detained and 50,000 of them were sent to jail. Seven-thousand are still at large, most of them seeking exile in European countries.

Now, several court cases have started against the coup plotters and their affiliates. There were those who "spilled the beans" to the investigators and provided clues and evidence that proved accurate and directly tied Gülen and his followers to the coup plot. There were also confessions by military staff that they were involved in the coup.

It is interesting to note that most of the defendants in the court cases remain silent and deny any involvement in the coup plot. All use the same words and statements that show they are being well coached in the prisons by Gülen's people. Even those who confessed to their wrongdoing are now playing dumb. Why is all this so?

Simply because the Fetullah Gülen gang members are spreading word that no hope is lost and that sooner or later they will make a comeback. They are giving false hope to their comrades in jail to prevent them from confessing or giving away any vital evidence. The defendants are simply and openly lying as they claim they had nothing to do with the coup or the Gülenist group while the recorded security camera footage proves how all these people were involved in open treason.

What is sad is that the Western powers are paying lip service to the Gülenists and are giving asylum to them, thus actually emboldening these people. At home the fact that the civilian and political wing of this coup has not been discovered and that these people are still free also emboldens the Gülenist gang in Turkey.

It is time for the investigators to concentrate on the forest rather than the little trees if we really want to bury FETÖ in the pages of history.