One of the Gülenist Terror Group's (FETÖ) so-called regional imams, Ishak Uysal, who infiltrated the Turkish defense industry, has been caught.
Uysal has been wanted for seven years and was caught through an operation carried out by the Istanbul police's counterterrorism and intelligence departments. It was determined that Uysal infiltrated Turkish missile producer Roketsan while terrorist members working with him infiltrated another defense industry giant, Aselsan.
It was further determined that Uysal used the organization's encrypted communication program, ByLock, to carry out activities for the group and hold various positions. Fourteen different witnesses made a statement about the duties of the suspect. Uysal, who was referred to the courthouse after his procedures at the police station, was arrested by the court.
The terrorist group orchestrated the defeated coup of July 15, 2016, in Türkiye, in which 252 people were killed and 2,734 wounded. Ankara also accuses FETÖ of being behind a long-running campaign to overthrow the state through the infiltration of Turkish institutions, particularly the military, police and judiciary.
Türkiye has targeted its active members and sleeper cells nonstop and its influence has been much reduced since 2016.
However, the group maintains a vast network, including infiltrators suspected of still operating within Turkish institutions.
FETÖ backers in army ranks and civil institutions have disguised their loyalty, as operations and investigations have indicated since the 2016 coup attempt. FETÖ is also implicated in a string of cases related to its alleged plots to imprison its critics, money laundering, fraud and forgery.
The terrorist group faces operations almost daily as investigators still try to unravel their massive network of infiltrators everywhere. In 2024 alone, police apprehended hundreds of FETÖ suspects across the country, including fugitives on western borders trying to flee to Europe.
Those apprehended mainly were low-ranking members of the group, as high-ranking members managed to flee the country before and immediately after the coup attempt.
Still, security forces occasionally capture key figures of the group who managed to remain in hiding, such as Cihat Yıldız. Yıldız, accused of helping the escape of Adil Öksüz, the civilian mastermind of the 2016 coup attempt, was captured during a police check in August in Istanbul.
Turkish security sources also say the group is in turmoil after the death of its leader, Fetullah Gülen, in October last year.
