The "controlled coup” lie quickly spread online and, at one point, even found its way into opposition propaganda. On the 10th anniversary of the July 15, 2016, coup attempt by the Gülenist Terror Group (FETÖ), security sources say the contingency plan was created by the group to dodge the blame for their role in the attempt that killed 253 people.

Although its attempt ultimately failed due to unprecedented public resistance, for decades, FETÖ managed to run an infiltration scheme, planting its members into the state institutions. FETÖ leader Fetullah Gülen had once said that having a member in the military was worth the work of "ten colleges,” referring to FETÖ’s global school network, which also served as recruitment hubs for the group.

Before the 2016 coup attempt, FETÖ used its infiltrators in law enforcement and the judiciary to carry out similar operations targeting public officials, including a so-called anti-graft probe in 2013 and a plot to imprison the intelligence chief. It was designated as a security threat following the December 2013 coup attempts seeking to imprison government officials, and authorities closed in on FETÖ’s secret network in the army. The 2016 coup attempt was also a scheme to stop plans to weed out FETÖ members from the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK). Having learned that infiltrators in the army would be expelled in an August 2016 meeting of the Supreme Military Council (YAŞ), FETÖ launched its putsch bid on July 15.

Security sources said that Enver Altaylı was one of the individuals who had worked for FETÖ for many years and was behind the terrorist group’s disinformation campaign on "controlled coup” or that anti-coup authorities deliberately let the attempt proceed before intervention.

"FETÖ once again resorted to its well-established tactics of slander and attributing its own actions to others following the failed coup attempt. Anticipating the possibility that the coup could fail, the organization activated its 'Plan B' by promoting the allegation that the events of July 15 were a 'controlled coup.' The architect of this plan was Enver Altaylı, who for years acted as a proxy for foreign intelligence services and appeared behind numerous operations. Altaylı maintained contact with dozens of fugitive former military officers affiliated with FETÖ abroad and established a network among them. He is also known to have had a long-standing relationship with Mustafa Özcan, one of FETÖ's most senior and influential figures,” sources said.

Altaylı, an intelligence officer who once worked at the Soviet desk of the National Intelligence Organization (MIT), was sentenced in 2021 by a Turkish court for his links to FETÖ. Altaylı, author of several books and a former columnist, had close ties with Ruzi Nazar, an Uzbek intelligence officer who worked for the CIA, and penned a book about the latter’s life.

During an investigation into his work after the coup attempt, authorities discovered that in 2017, Altaylı was working on a report he called "A Search For Truth” with input from FETÖ-linked military officers, aiming to disseminate the "controlled coup" narrative. The report was eventually released on the website of the Stockholm Center for Freedom, a group controlled by FETÖ. It served as the basis of FETÖ propaganda that basically claimed that the coup attempt was staged.

"The 'controlled coup' narrative, jointly produced by FETÖ and Enver Altaylı as the organization's Plan B, later became political material for some who accepted it as true. This will remain one of the most unfortunate examples of falling into the trap laid by the organization and will be condemned in history and in the conscience of the Turkish nation,” sources said.

The main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) stood behind the narrative. Its leader, Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, who shunned joining public resistance against the putschists, endorsed the narrative and touted it as legitimate, claiming that the government was aware of the coup plot and the coup itself was "controlled.”

Sources say Altaylı was also active in other plots against the government, including the Gezi Park riots of 2013 and the notorious "MIT trucks” case orchestrated by FETÖ, which declared war on Turkish intelligence and also fed the propaganda that Türkiye was supporting the terrorist group Daesh. After the 2016 coup attempt, Altaylı joined former military officers linked to FETÖ to spread the FETÖ propaganda internationally.

"Anticipating failure, FETÖ transformed its long-running campaigns portraying Türkiye as 'radical Islamist' and 'supportive of Daesh' into a broader disinformation campaign after July 15. Fabricated reports prepared by fugitive FETÖ coup plotters were circulated among influential figures and institutions in various countries, again with the approval of Enver Altaylı. Evidence presented during Altaylı's trial showed that he acted as an intermediary between senior FETÖ leaders and foreign actors in efforts to undermine Türkiye's legitimate government. A document recovered from his computer, described as a 'bloody chaos plan,' caused widespread shock. Similar documents were also found in the possession of several coup plotters,” sources said.

The document outlined plans to incite conflict among the Turkish people and provoke bloodshed. It stated that all opposition groups should be mobilized to take to the streets, that an economic crisis should be engineered, that international pressure should be exerted to halt the flow of funds from Gulf countries to Türkiye, and that a gradual climate of internal conflict could ultimately lead to a change of government. According to the security sources, Altaylı also acted as an adviser in shaping FETÖ's broader strategy of creating chaos.

"At the same time, FETÖ's clandestine structures were also known to be planning prison riots and unrest across Türkiye. In addition, notes dated Feb. 18, 2016, recovered from Altaylı's computer and prepared before the July 15 coup attempt, clearly demonstrated his support for an uprising against the state and the constitutional order,” sources said.