Retired general says FETÖ threat not over yet
Retired Gen. İsmail Hakkı Pekin said Thursday in a panel in the U.S. that the coup threat in Turkey is still not over and made a call to U.S. authorities to extradite the leader of the Gülenist Terror Group (FETÖ), Fethullah Gülen,.
Pekin, who is also the former head of intelligence at Turkey's general staff, attended the event as a speaker along with prominent Turkish journalist Nedim Şener and Ahmet Zeki Üçok, a retired colonel and military judge, which was organized by the Turkish Heritage Foundation in New York.
The retired general said that he has experienced every coup in Turkey in the past but for the first time saw a failed coup on July 15, when people were ran over by tanks, Parliament was bombed and putschists tried to kill the president.
Pekin said the FETÖ members who infiltrated many state institutions including the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) , police forces, judiciary and foreign ministry after being educated at Gülenist schools tried to take over the state on the orders of Fetullah Gülen. He added that he also overcame a life-threatening situation on the night of the coup, as he escaped being crushing by a tank.
"FETÖ has the power to create serious chaos, including killing President [Recep Tayyip] Erdoğan. In order to totally cleanse this group from Turkey, the extradition of Gülen is a must. Neither I nor my friends are Justice and Development Party (AK Party) supporters. However, we feel obliged to support Erdoğan in his struggle against FETÖ," he said.
On July 15, a small military junta linked to the FETÖ attempted to topple the democratically elected president and government in Turkey and bring martial law. The attempt was prevented by military troops loyal to the government, along with police units and millions of Turkish citizens in favor of democracy. 241 people, consisting of mostly civilians, have been killed by pro-coup soldiers, while over 2,000 people were injured.
The attempt was masterminded Fetullah Gülen, who has lived in self-imposed exile on a 400-acre property in the foothills of the Pocono Mountains in Pennsylvania since 1999.
Pekin, who is also the former head of intelligence at Turkey's general staff, attended the event as a speaker along with prominent Turkish journalist Nedim Şener and Ahmet Zeki Üçok, a retired colonel and military judge, which was organized by the Turkish Heritage Foundation in New York.
The retired general said that he has experienced every coup in Turkey in the past but for the first time saw a failed coup on July 15, when people were ran over by tanks, Parliament was bombed and putschists tried to kill the president.
Pekin said the FETÖ members who infiltrated many state institutions including the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) , police forces, judiciary and foreign ministry after being educated at Gülenist schools tried to take over the state on the orders of Fetullah Gülen. He added that he also overcame a life-threatening situation on the night of the coup, as he escaped being crushing by a tank.
"FETÖ has the power to create serious chaos, including killing President [Recep Tayyip] Erdoğan. In order to totally cleanse this group from Turkey, the extradition of Gülen is a must. Neither I nor my friends are Justice and Development Party (AK Party) supporters. However, we feel obliged to support Erdoğan in his struggle against FETÖ," he said.
On July 15, a small military junta linked to the FETÖ attempted to topple the democratically elected president and government in Turkey and bring martial law. The attempt was prevented by military troops loyal to the government, along with police units and millions of Turkish citizens in favor of democracy. 241 people, consisting of mostly civilians, have been killed by pro-coup soldiers, while over 2,000 people were injured.
The attempt was masterminded Fetullah Gülen, who has lived in self-imposed exile on a 400-acre property in the foothills of the Pocono Mountains in Pennsylvania since 1999.