A total of 11 suspects linked to the Gülenist Terror Group (FETÖ) were captured Wednesday as they tried to flee Türkiye for Greece aboard a U.S.-flagged yacht.
The Turkish coast guard stopped the suspicious yacht off the coast of Muğla in southwestern Türkiye. Three others aboard the yacht were also detained, but authorities did not specify whether they were associated with the terrorist group.
The suspects were earlier imposed a travel ban while legal proceedings were underway for them before they tried to flee through the Aegean Sea separating Greece and Türkiye. Among those captured were individuals who had previously held positions such as police chief, professors and specialized doctors. The coast guard delivered all of them to the police at the port.
Following a 2016 coup attempt by military infiltrators of FETÖ, Greece became a top destination for members of the terrorist group in the face of a heightened crackdown in Türkiye. Those wanted by authorities or facing imminent capture turn to the land and sea borders between the two countries.
Greece is one of the major gateways of Türkiye to Europe, and its borders are also swarming with illegal immigrants.
According to the Greek press estimates, since July 15, 2016, nearly 20,000 Turkish citizens, mostly FETÖ members, crossed into Greece via the Aegean islands or the Maritsa (Meriç) River. While some of them went on to other European countries, about 9,000 of them sought political asylum in Greece itself.
Notoriously, just one day after the coup bid, eight FETÖ member soldiers fled to the Greek city of Alexandroupolis in a military helicopter belonging to Türkiye and sought asylum there.
In March 2021, FETÖ ringleader Fetullah Gülen sent a video message to a promotional event in Athens for a book written about him. "Greece is a sister country," Gülen said.
"Thanks to this brotherhood, we remember them with gratitude and appreciation. (What Greece did) will be written with gold and silver on the glorious pages of history."
Last year, Turkish investigators shed light on how a network of FETÖ members helped others secretly travel to Greece through the Aegean Sea. The network’s scheme was included in an investigation carried out by the Chief Prosecutor’s Office in the southern province of Antalya.
It operates out of Kaş, a district of Antalya, and smuggles fugitive members of the terrorist group to the Greek island of Kastellorizo (Megisti-Meis), about 7 kilometers (4 miles) away from the Turkish district, according to prosecutors.
The investigation is based in Antalya and includes findings from the National Intelligence Organization (MIT), which shows a central, core group of FETÖ members in Türkiye concocted the plan and selected those who should escape from the country. Though many fled the country before and after the coup attempt, a large number of FETÖ members are still believed to be in hiding in Türkiye.
A "central administration" for fugitives also ensures the group’s members have access to more assistance, investigators say. If a member is captured while trying to escape the country, they cannot access the terrorist group's funds for fugitives' families in Türkiye unless they notify this central administration, the investigation showed. Fugitives are required to pay 3,500 euros ($3,474) each and if they cannot afford it, fellow FETÖ members cover the costs.
The investigation showed the group’s members were associated with a suspect who organized yacht excursions between Kaş and Kastellorizo and on each excursion, a fugitive FETÖ member was transported aboard.
The fugitive is then transferred to another boat while the yacht approaches the Greek island. Fugitives are provided accommodation in a hotel on the island before they move on to Athens.
Apart from FETÖ, Greece has been criticized for harboring members of far-left terrorist groups. In the past years, Greek courts ordered the release of members of the Revolutionary People's Liberation Party-Front (DHKP-C), which is recognized as a terrorist group by the European Union and the U.S.
The DHKP-C, who are the perpetrators of a series of crimes in Türkiye, including the killing of a prosecutor and the bombing of the U.S. Embassy, have long enjoyed protection in Greece. Its members wanted by Türkiye stayed in the Lavrion refugee camp, claiming fear of persecution in Türkiye.