The Gülenist Terror Group (FETÖ) first emerged as a serious national security threat 12 years ago, when it tried to topple the government. Today, the group lost its far-reaching clout, but operations reveal it still has members in hiding within the country.
The Interior Ministry announced on Wednesday that 160 suspects were captured in the past two weeks in operations against FETÖ in 39 provinces, and 90 among them were remanded in custody.
Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya announced in a social media post on Wednesday that counterterrorism, organized crime and intelligence units of the police launched operations against FETÖ in provinces including Ankara, Istanbul and Izmir. Among targeted suspects were those communicating over Bylock or payphones, those infiltrated into the Foreign Ministry, an “education network” of the group, and infiltrators in the military. Bylock is an encrypted messaging app developed and exclusively used by FETÖ members who also prefer public payphones to communicate with each other to avoid surveillance.
FETÖ, founded by now-deceased Fetullah Gülen, made its first move to overthrow the government on Dec. 17, 2013, through its infiltrators in law enforcement and the judiciary. Prior to the attempt, authorities became aware of a conspiracy by the group in February 2012, when prosecutors linked to the group sought to interrogate and arrest incumbent Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, then a top figure at the National Intelligence Organization (MIT). When then-Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan started to weed out FETÖ infiltrators in state institutions, FETÖ threatened Erdoğan and other government officials with several legal cases built on fabricated evidence. Erdoğan defied the blackmail attempts.
On Dec. 17, 2013, prosecutors linked to FETÖ in Istanbul launched a “graft probe” based on false allegations and fabricated evidence. They ordered the detention of more than 80 people, including the director of a state lender, the sons of ministers and several other figures close to the government. The government condemned the operation and sacked police chiefs and prosecutors involved in the probe. It was the first time that the government announced “a parallel state structure,” an “illegal organization,” as being behind a conspiracy against the government, in the wake of the probe. FETÖ, however, tried its hand at overthrowing the government again on Dec. 25, 2013, as Muammer Akkaş, a FETÖ-linked prosecutor, ordered detentions of 30 suspects. This time, law enforcement did not follow the orders. Akkaş, however, leaked the details of the operations to the media while FETÖ-operated social media accounts started releasing investigation files online that included doctored images and audio recordings regarding the so-called suspects. Members of the group also spread false claims that Erdoğan had fled abroad.
Following what authorities described as a judicial coup attempt by FETÖ against Türkiye’s elected government, the state intensified its efforts against the group. Prosecutors linked to FETÖ were dismissed from their posts, but they managed to flee the country. Among them were key names, including Akkaş, Zekeriya Öz, Celal Kara and Mehmet Yüzgeç.
New, far-reaching operations targeting FETÖ members in the law enforcement began July 22, 2014, resulting in the detention of numerous police chiefs and officers.
Following the investigation, then-Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor Irfan Fidan prepared a 621-page indictment related to the Dec. 17 case and submitted it to the Istanbul 14th High Criminal Court.
As in many FETÖ indictments, the lead suspect was FETÖ leader Gülen. Former police chiefs Yakub Saygılı, Nazmi Ardıç, Hamza Tosun and Yasin Topçu were charged with founding or leading an armed terrorist group, attempting to overthrow the Turkish government or prevent it from carrying out its duties, and unlawfully recording personal data and violating privacy. Prosecutors also sought prison sentences for 62 other police officers on charges including membership in an armed terrorist group and attempting to overthrow the government.
The indictment stated that FETÖ had formed a structure within the judiciary and police operating outside the legal chain of command. It said members acted on instructions from Gülen to infiltrate state institutions and used public resources and unlawful methods to eliminate perceived rivals and institutions standing in the way of their objectives.
The trial of 67 defendants, including Gülen and former police chiefs, began on Dec. 12, 2016, and concluded on March 18, 2019.
The court sentenced Yakub Saygılı, Kazım Aksoy, Yasin Topçu, Nazmi Ardıç and 11 others to aggravated life imprisonment for attempting to overthrow the Turkish government. Several defendants were also handed down prison sentences for violating the confidentiality of communications and private life. The court acquitted 24 defendants of all charges and convicted others of FETÖ membership. Cases involving Gülen and several fugitive defendants were separated.
FETÖ thrived thanks to its widespread infiltration into key public institutions for decades. The terrorist group’s members managed to disguise themselves through secretive communication methods and by conspiring against those who detected their infiltration, through blackmail, sham trials organized by prosecutors linked to the group and other methods. Once he believed he had a sizable number of military infiltrators, the group’s leader, Fetullah Gülen, ordered them to stage another coup attempt on July 15, 2016. The coup attempt, this time carried out by military infiltrators of the group, spectacularly failed due to an unprecedented public resistance. Gülen died in 2024 before his expected extradition from the U.S., where he lived for years. In the aftermath of the coup attempt, Türkiye expanded its crackdown on the group.
