A judge who ordered the controversial release of Adil Öksüz, the man who planned the July 15 coup bid on behalf of the Gülenist Terror Group (FETÖ), acknowledged his ties to the terrorist group, Turkish media reported yesterday.

Çetin Sönmez, an Ankara-based judge, had ruled for the release of theology lecturer Adil Öksüz, hours after he was captured at a military base in the Turkish capital after the coup was quelled. Öksüz in fact, was an "imam" (point man) for FETÖ, overseeing its infiltrators in the army and further investigation revealed he indeed plotted it with pro-coup generals associated with FETÖ. Sönmez was dismissed from duty following an investigation and was arrested in recent weeks. Habertürk daily reported Sönmez invoked the "remorse" law that grants suspects reduced prison terms in exchange of revealing information about terrorist groups. A court ordered Sönmez's release with judiciary control. He will be subject to house arrest. Turkish media reported that Sönmez was a follower of FETÖ starting from his university years and frequently visited informal student dormitories run by the group.

Adil Öksüz was first released with judiciary control by Judge Köksal Çelik. A prosecutor objected to the ruling but Sönmez overruled the objection, claiming lack of evidence against Öksüz. Öksüz has remained at large since then with no knowledge of his whereabouts after he was last seen in his hometown in northwestern Turkey.

Turkey placed Öksüz in the "red category" of the most wanted terror suspects, offering up to TL 4 million ($1.1 million) for tip-offs to help his capture, but he is believed to have fled abroad as nationwide searches have failed to locate him.

Prosecutors accuse him of orchestrating the meetings of top generals in an Ankara villa where they planned the coup plot, based on the testimony of secret witnesses who were also present at the meetings. He faces life imprisonment and a number of prison terms for the coup attempt as well as membership of a terrorist group. Hakan Biniş, another "civilian" FETÖ figure, was with Öksüz in the villa during the coup talks, witnesses claimed, along with top generals captured following the coup attempt.

Öksüz has claimed he was near the base to "look for a piece of land he planned to buy," and gave two addresses as his residence during his stay in Ankara after he arrived from the northwestern city of Sakarya where he teaches. The two addresses were found to be houses that have been empty for some time and the evidence revealed after his release showed Öksüz never hired a taxi to take him to an area near the base as he claimed in his initial testimony.

Criminal investigators revealed he frequently traveled to the United States where the terrorist group's leader Fetullah Gülen resides and he was in the company of military officers involved in the coup attempt during his flights. Öksüz also had relatives running companies linked to FETÖ.