A Greek media outlet reported that Greek security forces foiled the Gülenist Terror Group's (FETÖ) plan to establish a network in the country by organizing members of the group who previously fled there.
According to an exclusive article in the Greece-based Kathimerini newspaper that was published on Saturday, 3 U.S. citizens of Turkish origin that landed in Athens last Monday were sent back to the U.S. due to national security reasons.
Deutsche Welle Turkish reported that because of the sensitivity of the issue, the incident was known by only a small number of state officials and handled in great secrecy. Reportedly, the three suspects introduced themselves as members of non-governmental organizations and real estate investors during their investigation process with the Greek police, while saying that they want to "create shelter opportunities for refugees and buy real estate."
They also reportedly admitted that they are supporters of FETÖ.
The article in the Kathimerini newspaper, on the other hand, suggests that according to Greek security forces, who took part in the operation that was conducted by the Greek National Intelligence Service (EYP), the suspects were aiming to host FETÖ supporters who flee Turkey by buying real estate in some neighborhoods of Athens.
The newspaper further reported that more than 2,000 Turks have applied for asylum in Greece since the July 15 coup attempt.
FETÖ, led by U.S.-based Fetullah Gülen, sought to topple the Turkish government and seize power on July 15, 2016. The coup attempt was prevented by loyal military troops, as well as police units and millions of Turkish citizens. Some 251 people, mainly civilians, were killed by putschist soldiers, while more than 2,200 people were injured.
ECtHR rejects thousands of FETÖ applications against TurkeyThe European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) has rejected 30,063 applications against Turkey, almost all of which were made by the members of the Gülenist Terror Group (FETÖ) throughout the last year.
The ECtHR finalized 31,054 applications made against Turkey in 2017. The court ruled for the rejection of 30,063 applications, mostly by FETÖ members, as the court considered them unacceptable.
Following the examinations and evaluations, in 99 cases of the applications the court decided that Turkey made violations.
The court also rejected the application of FETÖ suspect former police chief Yakup Saygılı, who is a suspect of the Dec. 25 judicial coup attempt. He applied to the ECtHR regarding his arrest in Sept. 4, 2014. In his application, Saygılı claimed that he was subjected to discrimination and his right to a fair trial was being violated.
The court ruled for rejection as no evidence or documents were provided for the complaints claiming that he faced discrimination.