In a panel discussion this week to commemorate the seventh anniversary of the July 15 coup attempt in Türkiye, the country’s Turkish Communications Director Fahrettin Altun made a fervent appeal to the global community to unitedly battle the scourge of the FETO terrorist organisation.
FETO leaders led the coup attempt by renegade soldiers on the fateful night in 2016, leaving more than 250 civilians dead and wounded thousands of others.
“FETO is a global terrorist organisation, and just like in the fight against other terrorist organisations, an international struggle based on cooperation and solidarity must be pursued against it,” Altun said in his video message, reminding the world about the silence of “friends and allies” of Türkiye when Turkish people were giving their lives to defend democracy.
Altun’s passionate appeal is not without reason.
In the years since the failed coup, Türkiye has practically waged a lone battle against the terror group, including through diplomatic efforts to have key coup-plotters extradited from the countries they have found refuge.
The United States and Germany top the list of countries where top FETO fugitives, including its leader Fetullah Gulen, live.
Even though ample evidence was provided to initiate legal proceedings, the US made very little effort to investigate him and his extensive network of businesses.
TRT World looks at Ankara’s most wanted fugitives living abroad in safety.
US safe haven
The US has been sheltering a significant number of FETO members, most of whom fled Türkiye after failing to take control of the country through a military coup carried out by rouge soldiers infiltrated into the army.
Fetullah Gulen is the most-wanted of all FETO members and has resided in the US since 1999.
Cevdet Turkyolu, one of the closest associates to Gulen and a real estate tycoon, is another leading FETO leader living there.
Turkyolu, who lives in the town of Saylorsburg located in the state of Pennsylvania, arranges Gulen’s meetings as his “secretary” at the Golden Generation Chestnut Camp Retreat Center, a secluded facility surrounded by trees, just five minutes away from the camp.
Türkiye believes that Turkyolu controls the organisation’s funds and, at Gulen’s behest, invests millions of dollars in various commercial ventures.
Aydogan Vatandas, one of the prominent figures in FETO’s propaganda structure and the administrator of the Twitter account named ‘Fuat Avni’, is known as one of the ‘princes’ of Fetullah Gulen.
Vatandas, who is being investigated for leading an armed terrorist organisation in Istanbul, is reported to have been one of the administrators of the Fuat Avni Twitter handle, through which he shared information obtained through illegal wiretapping by FETO and disseminated fabricated content before and during the coup.
When Vatandas realised he had been exposed, he evaded technical surveillance with the help of undercover FETO intelligence agents and escaped to the US through Germany.
Emre Uslu, a fugitive with an Interpol red notice issued for his arrest, is believed to be among those residing in the US.
After fleeing Türkiye, he lives in a luxurious house in Fairfax, Virginia, which he is said to have purchased.
Tuncay Opcin, another FETO fugitive currently residing in the US, was involved in multiple espionage operations to facilitate the infiltration of terrorists within the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK).
German duplicity
It is a known fact that some prominent individuals of the FETO group, including Türkiye’s most sought-after terrorism suspects Abdullah Aymaz and Mehmet Ali Sengul, have taken refuge in Germany.
Aymaz, who became involved with FETO when its leader Fetullah Gulen was still a relatively unknown preacher in İzmir, holds a position within Gulen's close circle.
Aymaz is referred to as the ‘Europe Imam’ for FETO and is a senior figure responsible for overseeing numerous follower networks in the region.
Just a few months before the 2016 coup attempt, Aymaz authored an article in a FETO-affiliated newspaper, hinting at an imminent coup. He left Türkiye just before the failed coup attempt.
Another high-ranking figure within the terrorist group, Mehmet Ali Sengul, reportedly designated as a potential successor to Gulen, is also known to reside in Germany.
Another individual associated with both FETO and the 2016 coup attempt, believed to be hiding in Germany, is Adil Oksuz. Oksuz is alleged to be the mastermind behind the coup attempt.
The AA news agency has reported that Oksuz resided or temporarily stayed in Berlin following the coup attempt.
Zekeriya Oz, Fikret Secen, Celal Secen and Ilhami Polat are also some other members of the terrorist network who are currently residing in Germany.
As FETO fugitives continue to find sanctuary in these Western countries, concerns mount about the lack of action taken by the US and Germany to extradite these individuals and hold them accountable for their involvement in the coup attempt.
The Turkish government's repeated calls for international cooperation and solidarity in combating FETO and similar terrorist organisations remain largely unanswered.
