Courts in Istanbul and the northern city of Samsun issued aggravated life imprisonment verdicts for nine defendants accused of participating in the July 15, 2016 coup attempt. All defendants were military officers, from colonels to lower-ranking military personnel. Turkey blames the Gülenist Terror Group (FETÖ) for the attempt that killed 250 people.

In Istanbul, the 27th High Criminal Court handed down verdicts in the trial of 16 defendants in a case involving the transfer of putschists and cadets from a military school in Yalova, a city south of Istanbul, to Istanbul. Among them were those who piloted helicopters that landed at Vodafone Park, a stadium in central Istanbul. Military helicopters they commanded carried putschists bent on taking over strategic locations. Vodafone Park is located near city's iconic Taksim Square as well as a residence of the prime minister. Seven defendants in the case received aggravated life sentences, while two others were sentenced to 10 years in prison. One defendant was only convicted of membership in a terrorist group and received six years in prison, while the rest of the accused were acquitted.

Former Col. Metin Yıldırım, the commander of the military airfield in Yalova, was among those sentenced to aggravated life imprisonment.

Prosecutors said in their indictment that defendants, who were personnel at the Yalova airfield and a military school in Yeşilköy, Istanbul, coordinated the transfer of cadets from the Air Force Military School in Istanbul. Cadets were given munitions and ordered to buses heading to Istanbul. They were stopped by anti-coup groups before they joined the putschists. Yıldırım is accused of being the commander who ordered their transfer to help the putschists take over Istanbul. Two helicopter pilots sentenced to aggravated life imprisonment in the trial are accused of bringing putschists to Istanbul. Pilots returned to Yalova where they took off from after the coup was thwarted.

In Samsun, a Black Sea province, a court handed down life sentences for Col. Murat Özer and First Lieutenant Ömer Binici for their role in the coup attempt. Özer was Coast Guard commander for the Black Sea and was among 13 defendants tried. Six others were handed down prison terms ranging from two years to seven years, while five others were acquitted. Özer claimed he was not aware of a plan to seize power on July 15 and simply followed the orders of his superiors. He said he complied when Coast Guard Commander Hakan Üstem phoned and ordered him to "do what is necessary" after telling him, "Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) assumed control of the country." The colonel claimed that he first ordered boats and ships under his command to set sail but later ordered them back to port.

More than 1,200 defendants were sentenced to life and aggravated life imprisonment in dozens of trials that started in December 2016. More verdicts are expected this year. Since the coup was quelled, authorities also carry out almost daily operations to capture FETÖ suspects. Thousands were detained or arrested in nationwide operations since 2016, and 29 of 59 suspects wanted by authorities were detained yesterday in operations against the terrorist group's financial arm.

Suspects captured in the capital Ankara are accused of money laundering. Prosecutors say they collected "himmet" (donations) from the group's members and transferred it to accounts in now-defunct lender Bank Asya to use in illegal activities of FETÖ. Investigations show the group thrived on himmet that was received on a voluntary basis or through blackmail. FETÖ is known for disguising itself as a charity movement with religious undertones before it laid bare its intention to topple the government through three coup attempts in 2013 and 2016. Investigators say FETÖ often tricked unsuspecting followers of Fetullah Gülen - the group's leader who was a former preacher - to donate to charities but used the money for the group.