A former military officer implicated in the murder of prominent academic Necip Hablemitoğlu in 2002 is also the main suspect in the murder of Ihsan Güven, a retired major who was also a close friend of Hablemitoğlu. Both murders were committed by victims shot in their left eyes.
Güven and his wife were killed in their Istanbul home in 2004, two years after Hablemitoğlu was shot dead in the capital Ankara. A new investigation was recently opened into the killing of Hablemitoğlu, who was known for his research and books on the Gülenist Terror Group (FETÖ).
A.T.M., a former member of the Special Forces, an elite unit of the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK), was among the suspects arrested last month for Hablemitoğlu’s murder.
An investigation by prosecutors in the capital Ankara revealed his connection to the murder of Güven, who was publicly known as the alleged leader of the Dost (Friend) Sect, which became famous after Turkish pop star Çelik’s affiliation with Güven. The killings of Güven and his wife have long remained unsolved, something attributed to the deliberate “inaction” of police officers linked to FETÖ. Güven had reportedly delivered some confidential documents to his friend Hablemitoğlu for the latter’s planned expose on FETÖ, shortly before Hablemitoğlu’s death.
The investigation of phone signal and communication records showed that A.T.M. and F.E., who was his superior in the Special Forces, went to the residence of Güven before the latter’s murder on May 1, 2004, and M. confessed the visit though not murder. Further investigation showed M. used cell phones registered under the name of someone else while he was in the residence. Investigators say that different ammunition was used in the murders but both victims were hit in their left eyes, something they assess as the “signature” of the killer.
The probe into the murder of Hablemitoğlu sped up after N.G.B., one of the suspects, was brought to Turkey from Ukraine where he was living, in January. He was also a former member of the Special Forces. His testimony to investigators led to more detentions. Two among them were arrested in February. In June, authorities ordered the arrests of more suspects, including A.T.M. and F.E. Both were arrested while retired colonel M.L.G., viewed as a key suspect in the assassination, remains at large.
In 2015, prosecutors in the capital Ankara launched an investigation into FETÖ's involvement in unsolved murders committed between 2000 and 2013, including the head of Ankara police's special operations department Behçet Oktay (2009), judge candidate Didem Yaylalı (2013) and a member of Turkey’s Council of State in 2006.
Hablemitoğlu was an outspoken figure on secret organizations in Turkey and activities of foreign foundations in the country before his murder. His book on FETÖ, named "Köstebek" ("Insider"), was published posthumously and is viewed as the first comprehensive nonfiction book on the terrorist group’s secret structure and its attempts to infiltrate the state. Media outlets have long reported suspicions over FETÖ’s role in the murder but the first proper investigation into the allegations was launched in 2016, the year the terrorist group attempted to stage a deadly coup.
