As the trial- regarding the incidents that took place at Akıncı Air Base where the July 15 coup attempt was administrated- of 486 Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETÖ) members continue, critical information has been discovered on fugitive Adil Öksüz, who is among the suspects of the trial. Authorities have been searching for him for more than a year. Commanding the coup attempt from Akıncı Air Base, Öksüz had been arrested by gendarmerie on July 16, traced one kilometer from the base in Fethiye, a district of Turkey’s Muğla province. Öksüz, who was caught around 11:00 a.m. and had in his possession a black suitcase, claimed that he was there to “inquire about a piece of land”. Öksüz, unlike the other FETÖ terrorists, was taken to the Sincan Courthouse instead of Ankara’s Police Department, and was released from custody on parole.
It was later learned that the file of Adil Öksüz, who met Prime Ministry adviser Ali İhsan Sarıkoca at the police station was hidden from investigative authorities. Additionally, his GPS device and mobile phone was returned to him, which should have been confiscated. Released on parole when 99 of the 100 coup attempt suspects were detained, Öksüz flew from Ankara to Istanbul on July 18. Öksüz, who is known to have traveled to Sakarya, is still at large. There is no record that Öksüz left the country through legal channels. However, Yeni Şafak sources reported that fugitive Adil Öksüz is now in Germany. The document previously sent by the Ministry of Justice Directorate General for International Law and Foreign Relations to the Police Intelligence, to Counterterrorism Departments, to the National Intelligence Organization and to the Public Prosecutor of Ankara stated that two witnesses have seen Öksüz in Frankfurt and Ulm, Germany. According to reports, Öksüz requested for temporary residence in Germany, and he made his application in the Baden-Württemberg state.
Granted temporary asylum by the foreigners' department, Öksüz was given special and differential treatment. Normally, the names of the people who apply for temporary asylum are included in the system. However, Öksüz’s name is not listed in the official records.
Öksüz was identified to have contacted the U.S. embassy six days after the coup attempt. It is reported that Germany, the patron of FETÖ terrorists, adopted this method because they would not be able to justify Öksüz’s asylum request approval. Moreover, the reports say that Öksüz left for Hannover after his application process was complete.
A video emerged showing Adil Öksüz with the ringleader Fetullah Gülen, who orchestrated Turkey's July 15 coup attempt and is the mastermind behind a long-running campaign to overthrow the state. In the footage, Öksüz kneels before Gülen. Also, Öksüz was reported to have sent his wife Aynur Öksüz and his three children to the United States on June 30, 2016, 15 days before the coup attempt.
Vanishing into thin air after the coup attempt, Adil Öksüz, FETÖ’s right hand, held coup meetings in Ankara, attended by many generals and military officers. These meetings specified the tasks of FETÖ terrorists, and finalized the coup attempt. Öksüz finally went to the U.S. on July 11, 2016, and received approval from the ringleader Fetullah Gülen. Returning to Turkey on July 13, Öksüz was at 4th Akıncı Main Jet Base, where Chief of General Staff Hulusi Akar and some force commanders were held hostage by the coup plotters, and F-16 fighter jets took off to bomb Ankara on the night of July 15. Öksüz is reported to have conveyed Gülen’s instructions and to have given a “coup order” to FETÖ terrorists.
The surveillance cameras at Akıncı Air Base were deactivated, hence Adil Öksüz has never been caught on cameras since June 19. Öksüz administrated the coup attempt from the briefing hall, located behind the 143rd fleet, used as headquarters, and described as a military mess. Unlike other FETÖ terrorists Kemal Batmaz, Harun Biniş ve Nurettin Oruç, Öksüz never came to the hall of the fleet, where surveillance cameras are installed.
FETÖ terrorists are led by U.S.-based Fetullah Gülen, who orchestrated Turkey's July 15 coup attempt and is the mastermind behind a long-running campaign to overthrow the state through the infiltration of Turkish institutions, particularly the military, police and judiciary.
Since the failed coup, operations have been ongoing in the military, police and judiciary as well as in state institutions across the country to arrest suspects with alleged links to FETÖ.
The terrorist group is also known for its network comprised of hundreds of schools around the world.
