Halit Esendir, a senior figure in the Gülenist Terrorist Group (FETÖ), acknowledged that its leader, Fetullah Gülen, “knew” in advance of the July 15, 2016, coup attempt. It is the first time that a senior member of the group admitted the group's role in the attempt that killed more than 250 people.
Gülen was quick to deny any role in the coup attempt in its aftermath, while investigations revealed that FETÖ-linked officers, as well as civilians, orchestrated the attempt.
Esendir is on the most wanted list of the Interior Ministry for his role in the terrorist group, along with Gülen and other top names of FETÖ. FETÖ is known for its widespread infiltration into the army, law enforcement and other public institutions over the past decades, something that facilitated the coup attempt.
In a social media post, fugitive Esendir said that Gülen, who resides in the United States, was “informed” about the coup attempt (which unfolded around 9 p.m. local time) in Türkiye. “He was surprised because he knew that it would take place at 3 p.m. and asked people around him about time in Türkiye,” he said.
Esendir’s remarks came days after Gülen’s nephew admitted the group’s role in the coup attempt amid a growing rift in the leadership of the terrorist group. Ebuseleme Gülen exposed the involvement of Gülen himself in the coup attempt in the first such lengthy confession by a member of the terrorist group. His recount has revealed months of planning for the attempt.
In a streaming interview, Gülen's nephew said Adil Öksüz, the fugitive mastermind of the coup attempt who was controversially released after his initial capture at a military base at the heart of the putsch bid, has always been in touch with Gülen and other top names of the group. He revealed that Gülen lied when he said he did not know Öksüz.
Gülen stated that the same “crew” that planned the coup attempt with Öksüz was also behind his uncle’s alleged “evacuation” from the Pennsylvania compound where he lived for years. The nephew said Adil Öksüz has always been with Gülen, that he was introduced to him while the two were in Istanbul and that he knew him back then as the “person responsible” for FETÖ’s infiltrators in the Turkish army. Ebuselem Gülen, who was involved in game design, said Öksüz asked him to develop a computer game that would “demonize” President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan shortly before the coup attempt. “I told him that it wouldn’t be popular, but he said ‘wait and see,’" he said. He claimed that Öksüz told him that the game was needed to justify their “struggle” against the Turkish government.
He said his uncle hinted to him about the coup during a meeting in April 2016. “Our friends thought about some (plan). Soon, all institutions in Türkiye will change hands and you will be assigned to important posts,” Gülen told him, the nephew said.
