A high-ranking member of the Gülenist Terror Group (FETÖ) was captured yesterday in a joint operation by the police and intelligence services.

Reşat Nazmi Oral, a member of the cult's secret group, which had infiltrated the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK), was captured and later arrested in the capital Ankara. Oral allegedly played an influential role in FETÖ's July 15, 2016 coup attempt. During the coup attempt, led by FETÖ's fugitive leader Fetullah Gülen, 251 people were killed and more than 2,200 were injured. Gülen has lived in the U.S. since 1999 in self-imposed exile.

Oral reportedly joined the cult in 1983. He has served in different roles for FETÖ, including as an academic adviser, the southeastern Anatolia regional representative, 2nd army imam [leader in the group] and an advocate imam. He was conducting operations for the cult, additionally for the secret group that infiltrated the TSK, under the code name Usame-Metin.

It was revealed that Oral's code name inside the cult was given directly by Gülen. Oral was identified to have been operating as a senior executive confidential imam and had an active role concerning the involvement of 12 of the 31 high-ranking officers who infiltrated the TSK before FETÖ's failed July 15 coup attempt. It was also revealed during Oral's investigation at the police station that out of 35 years of his activity within the terrorist organization, 19 of them were in confidential services. He was also reported to have shared information about his connections with more than 100 of the terrorist organization's executives and members.