Adil Öksüz, one of the senior figures of the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETÖ), had held two separate meetings in Ankara for the final preparation of the July 15 bloody coup attempt, several putschist military officials said in testimony.
A coupist general detained in İzmir following the coup attempt told investigators that Öksüz gathered some high-ranking military officials, including the former air forces commander and mastermind of the coup attempt, General Akın Öztürk, Vice-Admiral Ömer Faruk Harmancık, Brigadier General Mehmet Partigöç in Ankara's Çukurambar neighborhood, a week before the coup attempt.
"Between July 6 and 10, they brought all the military officials who would take part in the coup attempt to Ankara and informed them about their involvement in the plot. Everyone came without their mobile phones and we were asked to wear casual outfits to avoid attracting attention," the general said.
According to the testimony, the general whose name was not revealed had opposed the coup plan, but senior FETÖ members, including Öksüz, confirmed that all the precautions were taken and all other generals in the military would be convinced.
"The senior leaders reminded us of our pledge to Fetullah Gülen, leader of the Gülen terror-cult, and said he had to come even before our families. The imam told us that 'the coup will bring you peace, happiness and richness'", according to the general.
He also met with the executive members [top imams] of the FETÖ terror group before his meeting with the pro-FETÖ generals and designed the pre-plan of the attempted coup. The three-day long meeting was the key step for preparing the draft plan.
Following the imams meeting, Öksüz gathered generals and finalized the plan after a days-long discussion.
According to police reports who investigating the FETÖ coup probe in İzmir, Öksüz travelled to the U.S. on July 11 to get the final approval of the coup plan from the FETÖ leader Fetullah Gülen, who has been living in Pennsylvania since 1999.
Gülen had examined the plan and approved it, as he was the mastermind of the attempt to overthrow the elected government.
On July 13, Öksüz returned to Turkey and relied on Gülen's orders and instructions to fellow Gülenist within military forces for the coup attempt.
Two days later, a group of military officials loyal to Fetullah Gülen attempted to usurp power and killed hundreds of pro-democracy supporters by gunfire, airstrikes and crushing them with tanks.
Öksüz, an assistant professor at Sakarya University, was allegedly assigned by Gülen as the top leader for the coup attempt and was arrested on the next day of the bloody coup night around the Akıncı Air Base in Ankara that was utilized as the putschist headquarters.
But he was released by a pro-FETÖ judge only hours after his detention and remains at large, while the prosecutors and judges who ordered his release are now under investigation.
Öksüz, who is Gülen's right-hand man, was called 'the black box' of the terror-cult and acted as the air force 'imam' (leader) before and during the coup attempt.
