An Istanbul court issued arrest warrants for three members of the Gülenist Terror Group (FETÖ) yesterday as part of an investigation into the deadly July 15 coup attempt.
Former senior police intelligence officer Emre Uslu, media figure Tuncay Opçin and academic Osman Özsoy are accused of spreading the ideology of the putschists using forms of visual and social media, according to the court.
''How long do you think it will take you to visit the homeland even if it's just for a vacation? Or have you completely given up on the idea?'' a Twitter user asked Uslu, who responded by saying: ''July 2016. …''
The Gülenist was known for his tweets, hinting at the failed coup attempt in advance.
Tuncay Opçin hinted at the execution of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan just a day before July 15. He said in a tweet on July 14 that "[They'll] raid on [them] in their beds, hang them at dawn."
Meanwhile, on Sept. 14, 2015, another Gülenist named Uslu, who lives in the U.S., responded to the same tweet asking him when he would return to Turkey, to which he also responded, "July 2016."
The Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's office demanded that the court issue the warrants for the suspects on charges of "attempting to demolish the Republic of Turkey or preventing it from performing its duties."
On July 15, a small military junta linked to FETÖ attempted to stage a coup to topple the democratically elected president and government in Turkey and impose martial law. The attempt was prevented by military troops loyal to the government, along with police units and millions of Turkish citizens in favor of democracy. In total, 241 people consisting of mostly civilians were killed by pro-coup soldiers, while over 2,000 people were injured.
The attempt was masterminded by Fetullah Gülen, who has lived in self-imposed exile on a 400-acre property in the foothills of the Pocono Mountains in Pennsylvania since 1999.
