48 FETÖ members confess, disclose vital info on network
Police officers escort FETÖ suspects in Kahramanmaraş, eastern Turkey, Nov. 18, 2020. (AA Photo)


Fifty-seven Gülenist Terror Group (FETÖ) suspects, detained on charges of infiltrating the Gendarmerie General Command, said they want to benefit from effective remorse law.

Out of the 57 suspects, 48 so-called mahrem (secret) imams provided vital information about the organization's current structure, allowing police officers to raid so-called gaybubet (absence) houses, where many suspects have been hiding.

"Imam" in FETÖ jargon refers to the handlers of the infiltrators, and mahrem handlers are known for using intelligence-style methods to avoid detection of their ties to the infiltrators.

The operation was carried out against 89 secret imams of FETÖ's Gendarmerie General Command, who were identified as FETÖ members by the Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor's Office, National Intelligence Organization (MIT), the Anti-Terror Branch of General Directorate of Security and the General Directorate of the Cyber Department. While 70 suspects were detained in the operation, 57 secret imams announced they wanted to benefit from effective remorse law.

All the detained secret imams were active public employees, including 18 teachers, one professor, one associate professor and two doctors. Twenty-one of the private imams were arrested after their questioning. The 48 suspects, who gave information regarding FETÖ's recent structure as well as the addresses of absence houses, were taken under judicial control.

FETÖ is the group behind the July 15 coup attempt that tried to overthrow Turkey's democratically elected government, killing 251 people and injuring nearly 2,200 others in the attempt.

The terrorist group is also accused of using its infiltrators in the police and the judiciary to launch two other coup attempts on Dec. 17 and Dec. 25, 2013, under the guise of graft probes, in addition to sham trials launched against its adversaries using illegal or fake evidence and trumped-up charges.