Nephew of FETO leader remanded in custody

By Emre Ayvaz

SAKARYA, Turkey

A nephew of Fetullah Gulen, the leader of the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO) blamed for last year’s defeated coup in Turkey, was remanded in custody on Tuesday for alleged links to the group, security sources said.

Counter-terrorism police in the Black Sea city of Sakarya detained Samil Gulen on May 4, and sent him to court on charges of being member of an armed terror group, security sources close to the investigation told Anadolu Agency on condition of anonymity due to restrictions on speaking to the media.

He was detained under an ongoing investigation conducted by Sakarya Chief Public Prosecutor's Office into the FETO terror group and its alleged organization of last July’s coup attempt, which martyred 249 people and left 2,200 other wounded.

The investigation also found that Samil Gulen used ByLock, an encrypted smartphone messaging app used by FETO members for internal-organizational communication.

Samil Gulen is also believed to be a FETO “imam” (responsible person for a specific branch of the terror network) of the Land Forces Academy.

Ankara has repeatedly said the July 15 coup attempt was organized by followers of Fetullah Gulen, who has lived in self-imposed exile in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania since 1997.

He is also accused of running a long-running campaign to overthrow the state through the infiltration of Turkish institutions, particularly the military, police, and judiciary, forming what is commonly known as the parallel state.