The failed July 15, 2016 coup attempt was not a plan improvised in a single night but the culmination of months of preparation that accelerated after Türkiye's Nov. 1, 2015 general election, according to court files and findings from official investigations into the Gülenist Terror Group (FETÖ).
The terrorist group had spent years infiltrating state institutions under the guise of religious, educational and charitable activities before shifting toward an attempt to seize state power through military force.
After the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) regained its parliamentary majority in the Nov. 1 election, FETÖ concluded that its efforts to expand political influence through bureaucratic networks had failed, prompting senior members of the group to move forward with plans for a military coup.
Preparations began in November 2015 with meetings involving key civilian coordinators, including Adil Öksüz and Kemal Batmaz, who are considered central figures responsible for coordinating the group's military structure.
Several meetings were held in Pennsylvania, where Gülen was living at the time, as well as in Ankara and Istanbul. At least 23 high-level planning meetings were held connected to the coup preparations.
The first meeting took place on Nov. 14-15, 2015, in Pennsylvania. Following that meeting, Öksüz, Batmaz, Hakan Çiçek, Nurettin Oruç, Harun Biniş and Özcan Aytuluner allegedly formed a coordination group responsible for implementing the coup plan.
Between late December 2015 and March 2016, a series of meetings with military officers were held in Ankara. Reports from those gatherings were regularly delivered to senior FETÖ figures in Pennsylvania through repeated visits by Öksüz and Batmaz.
Planning intensified in the spring of 2016. Additional meetings involving FETÖ-linked military personnel were held in Ankara between March and June to finalize operational details.
Öksüz, Batmaz and Oruç traveled again to Pennsylvania between June 20 and June 25, 2016, where they received final instructions before returning to Türkiye.
The final phase of preparations reportedly took place in early July. Prosecutors say Öksüz chaired four consecutive meetings with senior military officers in Ankara from July 6 to July 9 to finalize assignments and operational plans for the coup attempt.
Öksüz and Batmaz then traveled once more to Pennsylvania on July 12, according to court records, before returning to Türkiye shortly afterward.
Simultaneous coordination meetings continued between July 12 and July 15 at military facilities in Ankara and Istanbul, including Maltepe Barracks, the Air Force Academy and the Air War College. Numerous officers gathered at those locations despite having no official assignment there.
On July 14, civilian coordinators allegedly relocated to Ankara for final preparations ahead of the operation.
The coup attempt began on the evening of July 15, 2016, when rogue military personnel linked to FETÖ deployed tanks, fighter jets and helicopters against state institutions and civilians.
Shortly after, F-16 fighter jets commanded by putschists started flying low above the capital. Soon, images and videos of soldiers closing down two key bridges in Istanbul were everywhere. At 11:02 p.m., Prime Minister Binali Yıldırım announced an “illegal action” against the government in a live call with broadcaster NTV and vowed a response. At 11:05 p.m., the Chief Prosecutor’s Office in Ankara announced an investigation against the coup attempt.
The putschists taking over public broadcaster TRT also forced a presenter to announce that “the Turkish army took over administration.”
Moreover, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan appeared in a video call to broadcaster CNN Türk and made a historic speech, calling the nation to the streets against the putschists.
The attempt was thwarted after resistance from security forces and civilians who responded to calls to defend the elected government. According to official figures, 251 people were killed and more than 2,700 others were wounded during the failed coup attempt. Turkish authorities have since carried out extensive judicial proceedings against thousands of suspects accused of involvement in the plot.
