Officer tells how FETÖ helped his rise in the army
A career military officer, who agreed to expose the clout of the Gülenist Terror Group (FETÖ) in the army following the July 15 coup attempt, told interrogators how he joined the army with the aid of the terrorist group and served them to facilitate their infiltration. The officer, who is a "secret witness" in the investigation of the terror group accused in the coup attempt, was detained after July 15 during which hundreds were killed by putschist officers.
He told interrogators he has been a member of FETÖ for 22 years and was first introduced to the group, then simply known as the Hizmet movement, while he was a middle school student. "I met (a FETÖ member) who offered to help me in studying high school exams and started going to dormitories run by the movement where I was preparing for exams. Before the exam, they asked me if I would like to attend a military high school and once I accepted, they ‘tested' me," he said.
"They asked me if I would sacrifice my life for Hocaefendi (a title of respect attributed to FETÖ leader Fetullah Gülen) and when I said yes, they gave me questions for the exam, two days before I took the exam. I studied them and passed the exam," he said. Gülenists are known for their mass cheating thanks to their infiltrators in boards and bodies organizing the exams. They face charges of cheating in multiple trials and investigations on widespread infiltration by FETÖ members into the military, bureaucracy and judiciary. Once at the military school, he was instructed by "brothers," older FETÖ members who oversee affairs of group members in the army and other sectors, from law enforcement to judiciary, to regularly visit them. "They told me to mingle with the crowd and not to perform prayers openly," he said. The religion has long been shunned by the army boasting a secular nature and FETÖ, that long promoted itself as a religious movement, managed to infiltrate into the army in disguise. The secret witness was even encouraged to drink alcohol while with his comrades in arms to avoid suspicion as alcoholic drinks are forbidden in Islam.
He was not the only Gülenist at the military school but he said he did not know others as there was strict secrecy among Gülenists. While in the Air Force Academy, he was introduced to fellow Gülenists but they were instructed to pretend they do not know each other while in the presence of other officers.
After he graduated from the military school, the officer, now a lieutenant, was ordered by Gülenists to donate a portion of his salary to them. When he wanted to marry, it was the "brothers" from FETÖ who arranged a marriage for him. "I was married in 2008 and the ‘brothers' gave me the worn underwear of Fetullah Gülen as a gift. They told me it would protect me and I wore it at times," he confesses, revealing the bizarre customs of Gülenists. Former Gülenists say some devout members even ate "pieces of a shoe worn by Gülen" to show their commitment to the group leader.
The officer faced disciplinary action when he lost his military radio during a mission. When he told it to the "brothers" in the group, they assured him nothing would come out of the case and his career would not be affected. Indeed, he got away with a light sentence, apparently with the aid of military judges linked to the group.
The secret witness was at a committee overseeing the hiring of specialist sergeants in the army this year and prior to interviews with hopefuls, he was contacted by "a brother" who gave him a list. "He told me I should veto these candidates for a specialist sergeant position and I did so," he said.
He told interrogators he has been a member of FETÖ for 22 years and was first introduced to the group, then simply known as the Hizmet movement, while he was a middle school student. "I met (a FETÖ member) who offered to help me in studying high school exams and started going to dormitories run by the movement where I was preparing for exams. Before the exam, they asked me if I would like to attend a military high school and once I accepted, they ‘tested' me," he said.
"They asked me if I would sacrifice my life for Hocaefendi (a title of respect attributed to FETÖ leader Fetullah Gülen) and when I said yes, they gave me questions for the exam, two days before I took the exam. I studied them and passed the exam," he said. Gülenists are known for their mass cheating thanks to their infiltrators in boards and bodies organizing the exams. They face charges of cheating in multiple trials and investigations on widespread infiltration by FETÖ members into the military, bureaucracy and judiciary. Once at the military school, he was instructed by "brothers," older FETÖ members who oversee affairs of group members in the army and other sectors, from law enforcement to judiciary, to regularly visit them. "They told me to mingle with the crowd and not to perform prayers openly," he said. The religion has long been shunned by the army boasting a secular nature and FETÖ, that long promoted itself as a religious movement, managed to infiltrate into the army in disguise. The secret witness was even encouraged to drink alcohol while with his comrades in arms to avoid suspicion as alcoholic drinks are forbidden in Islam.
He was not the only Gülenist at the military school but he said he did not know others as there was strict secrecy among Gülenists. While in the Air Force Academy, he was introduced to fellow Gülenists but they were instructed to pretend they do not know each other while in the presence of other officers.
After he graduated from the military school, the officer, now a lieutenant, was ordered by Gülenists to donate a portion of his salary to them. When he wanted to marry, it was the "brothers" from FETÖ who arranged a marriage for him. "I was married in 2008 and the ‘brothers' gave me the worn underwear of Fetullah Gülen as a gift. They told me it would protect me and I wore it at times," he confesses, revealing the bizarre customs of Gülenists. Former Gülenists say some devout members even ate "pieces of a shoe worn by Gülen" to show their commitment to the group leader.
The officer faced disciplinary action when he lost his military radio during a mission. When he told it to the "brothers" in the group, they assured him nothing would come out of the case and his career would not be affected. Indeed, he got away with a light sentence, apparently with the aid of military judges linked to the group.
The secret witness was at a committee overseeing the hiring of specialist sergeants in the army this year and prior to interviews with hopefuls, he was contacted by "a brother" who gave him a list. "He told me I should veto these candidates for a specialist sergeant position and I did so," he said.
Last Update: November 20, 2016 21:33