What happened in the night between 15th and 16th of July?

This is a collection of news from different sources. This blogger is trying to get more clearness about the events, that unfolded in Turkey in the night between 15th and 16th of July in 2016. It is difficult to trust, what people say about the events of this night. History will be written later. But first let's start with a collection of sources:


July 24, 2016
Fethullah Gülen's key aide captured after failed coup attempt: Turkey has captured a key aide to the Fethullah Gülen, the leader of Gülen-movement in northeastern Trabzon province, a presidency official said on Saturday. Davut (Halis) Hancı, described as Gülen's right-hand man, apparently entered Turkey two days before the failed coup attempt, the presidency official told reporters. Hancı is accused of transferring funds to Gülen. Separately, the official confirmed that Turkey also detained the son-in-law of Akın Öztürk, a former air force chief already arrested as one of the key suspects in the attempted coup. Lieutenant colonel Hakan Karakuş was detained in Ankara, it said.


July 23, 2016
Evidence piling up against Gülen: While Fetullah Gülen has denied his involvment in the failed coup attempt in Turkey, evidence against him is piling up. Brigadier General Fatih Celaleddin Sağır, commander of an infantry brigade in the central city of Sivas, was among the list of people the coup plotters planned to assign as martial law commander if the coup attempt succeeded. Sağır confessed he was connected to FETÖ in his interrogation by prosecutors. According to his statements published by İhlas News Agency, Sağır said he often attended the meetings of Gülen followers especially in the 1980s and 1990s and served "the movement" for 10 years. He claimed he distanced himself from Gülenists after 2007, especially following sham trials masterminded by Gülenists to imprison military officers. Lieutenant Colonel Levent Türkkan, the aide of Chief of General Staff Hulusi Akar, said that Major General Mehmet Dişli, who also took part in the coup attempt, is a member of FETÖ. Speaking about his background, Türkkan said that he comes from an impoverished family and met with the Gülen Movement during adolescence. Mithat Aynacı was a police chief in Istanbul until 2013 when he was dismissed for his role in two Gülen-linked coup attempts against the government then under the guise of a police probe targeting people close to the politicians. He managed to get back to duty after he won a lawsuit against his dismissal. The night when tanks headed to the headquarters of Istanbul police, Aynacı, donning his police uniform, was found in one of the tanks he entered. A video recording shows the officer getting into the tank and another one shows he exits in a military officer uniform. The messages caught on the mobile phone of former chief of police Zeki T. who was taken into custody in front of the Turkish National Police Department of Intelligence, were also counted as evidence that points out that the coup was orchestrated by members of FETÖ. The message reads: "Brothers should carry out the orders coming from the police department. Everybody should go to the building of the Turkish General Staff; teams should contact each other and form a link. Everybody should be notified, even the retired personnel. The retired personnel should grab their guns too... and take down everybody who is resisting," demonstrated how the plan of the terrorist organization worked. Captain Haldun Gülmez of Naval Forces who was in the team that attacked the hotel in which President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan was staying and was captured injured by the police forces was discovered to be carrying a document containing a "beddua," a prayer of damnation Fethullah Gülen often recites to condemn the government. Another interesting link connecting Gülmez and Major Recep Zafer, another coup officer, is a 2010 exam. The wives of Gülmez and Zafer were among the suspects of alleged fraud on the 2010 nationwide Public Personnel Selection Examination (KPSS). This discovery drew attention as the fraud investigation as well as failed coup attempt is related to FETÖ. FETÖ is accused of supplying questions and answers to KPSS participants sympathizing with Gülenists, according to an indictment on the case. FETÖ is also accused of supplying answers to exams used for admission into military schools. It was revealed that 580 women who are suspects of the 2010 KPSS investigation are wives of military officers and they passed the exam by answering more than 100 questions correctly. Experts said that people who are needed in a coup attempt are obviously taking into consideration Turkey's political position, social atmosphere and the judicial process. Retired colonel and military judge Ahmet Zeki Üçok who was acquitted from the Sledgehammer (Balyoz) coup plot case and is one of the plaintiffs in the İzmir-based military espionage operation, said that FETÖ was organized within the Turkish General Staff (TSK) insidiously and the organization, whose ultimate objective is to take over all ranks of the state, carried out secret plans in order to take over the TSK as well. Üçok also touched upon the Dec. 17 and Dec. 25 2015 coup attempt by saying, "Since they cannot come into power via elections, they planned a military coup by mobilizing their members infiltrated within the police force, judicial system and military. FETÖ's plan to take over the government and state by orchestrating a military coup has been featured in numerous intelligence studies since the 1970s and 80s. FETÖ, which has pit in special effort to have a say in the TSK, had students change schools and private teaching institutions that are owned by them in order to hide the link between them and the students before enrolling them to military high schools. Read more.

Coup soldier told Turkey's top general to talk to Gülen: Erdoğan: President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has said one of the coup soldiers who held Turkey’s chief-of-staff hostage on July 15 during a bloody uprising told the military head to call Fethullah Gülen. In an interview with France 24 on July 23, Erdoğan said captured coup soldiers were now revealing the source of their instructions. “One of those who took our chief-of-staff hostage even went beyond to say: ‘Let’s put you in touch with our opinion leader Fethullah Gülen,’” Erdoğan said. On July 16, riot police guarded the General Staff headquarters in Ankara, a location which was one of the focal points of the July 15 coup attempt. Senior officers who refused to participate were taken hostage, including the Chief of the General Staff Gen. Hulusi Akar.


Commercial power back at Turkish air base used in ISIL fight: Commercial electric power was restored on July 22 to İncirlik Air Base, the Turkish air base used by U.S. forces in the fight against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), a week after it was interrupted during a failed coup attempt. The air space around İncirlik was closed during the July 15 failed coup attempt amid concerns a tanker aircraft commandeered from the base was used to refuel aircraft involved in the attempted overthrow. Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu said some troops at the base were involved in the attempted coup.


Spy chef Hakan Fidan and Hulusi Akar, the military chief of staff, under review by President Erdogan and Prime Minister Binali Yildirim: Erdogan has met Hakan Fidan. "No, he did not offer his resignation. We did not discuss this," Erdogan said in an interview with France 24 television. He said Fidan and Hulusi Akar - the military chief of staff- would be staying on but their positions were under review. "If we have to make a decision (on their future) I will weigh it with my Prime Minster (Binali Yildirim)," Erdogan said. "At present we are in a transition period -- we have a saying, 'you do not change the horse half-way down the road'." According to Hurriyet daily, Erdogan had furiously scolded Fidan following the coup, saying: "You got a really bad mark." To which Fidan replied: "Whatever you command, I am ready to do." Erdogan had previously complained of finding out about the coup not from the intelligence service but his brother-in-law and then being unable to reach Fidan. Meanwhile Yildirim said he found out 15 minutes after the coup took place, having had no idea of the impending threat. Report by AFP, read more.


Time to open a new page in Turkey: Murat Yetkin writes: The coup attempt took place at a time when political antagonism in society was escalating. There was no single issue that all four parties in parliament could agree on. However, on the night of the coup attempt, within the first hour of it and without even understanding who was behind it or why, all opposition parties issued statements denouncing the move and expressing support for the democratic system. The parliament did not stop its work, even as the building was under bombardment by jets seized by the pro-coup pilots. MPs even agreed on a joint statement condemning the coup attempt. The people had already started to take to the streets even before President Tayyip Erdoğan called on them to resist the plotters via private broadcaster CNN Türk. By the time the main bulk of the military had sided with the government and began fighting to suppress the pro-coup forces, also denouncing them as Gülenists, the plotters had already lost the game. Opinion by Hürriyet Daily News, read more.


Turkish decree increases detention period to 1 month, closes schools, hospitals: A decree law released as part of the state of emergency declared late on July 20 following a failed coup increases the legal duration of detention up to 30 days from the current two, as it also orders closure of a number of schools. The military suspects will be taken to the civilian courts. The same decree ordered closure of 35 hospitals, 1,043 private schools and dormitories, 15 private universities, 1,229 associations and foundations and 19 trade unions for links to Fethullah Gülen. The decree bans working at state institutions after being suspended from one.


July 22, 2016
Turkey’s intel chief under fire for alleged failure in stopping coup attempt: Prime Minister Binali Yıldırım, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Interior Minister Efkan Ala said they learned about the coup attempt from various sources other than the country’s intelligence chief. “We learned about the start of the coup attempt after nearly 15 minutes. We learned it from our bodyguards, citizens and our friends and relatives,” Yıldırım told journalists after making examinations at the Gölbaşı Special Operations Department in Ankara, where 50 police officers were killed on the night of the coup attempt. “It is very clear that there were significant gaps and deficiencies in our intelligence, there is no point trying to hide it or deny it,” Erdoğan told Reuters in an interview in Ankara on July 21, adding that he shared his views regarding the “failure” with Fidan. He was initially unable to reach the head of the armed forces or Fidan, and after some difficulty was able to contact the prime minister, Erdoğan also said. Erdoğan on July 20 also described how events unfolded during the failed coup attempt, saying that he learned about the failed coup attempt on July 15 from his brother-in-law, not the intelligence services. Report by Hürriyet Daily News, read more.


Ankara mulls huge restructuring of military after failed coup attempt: Turkey’s Supreme Military Council (YAŞ) is expected to meet next week to discuss the army’s restructuring in the aftermath of the failed attempted coup. Remarks of President Erdogan came in an interview with Reuters late July 21 amid fresh debate on ending the General Staff’s authority over military schools and giving it to the Education Ministry, while giving full control over the gendarmerie to the Interior Ministry has also been discussed. Another possible change in the pipeline was putting the entire army under the control of the Defense Ministry. Erdoğan’s statement that the army will get fresh blood after the YAŞ meeting was interpreted as a harbinger of a major change to the military’s echelon, with a new chief of general staff and force commanders. Gen. Hulusi Akar, Land Forces Commander Gen. Salih Zeki Çolak and Air Forces Commander Gen. Abidin Ünal, who had been taken hostage by coup plotters on July 15, have not yet completed their mandate in their positions, while Gendarmerie Forces Commander Gen. Galip Mendi and Naval Forces Commander Adm. Bülent Bostanoğlu were to retire in August. Gen. Mendi has already left his position since the attempted coup due to health reason and was replaced by Lt. Gen. İbrahim Yaşar. “We will link the gendarmerie fully to the Interior Ministry,” Interior Minister Efkan Ala said in an interview on broadcaster NTV. The gendarmerie is under the ministry in terms of its operations but in personnel issues, the authority is currently the military. “We will also evaluate linking the General Staff to the Defense Ministry but this is a decision that we will make on ourselves,” he said. The General Staff is currently under the direct authority of the Prime Ministry and such a shift may decrease the army’s level in the state hierarchy. Report by Hürriyet Daily News, read more.


Turkish Education Ministry to shut down 936 private schools over alleged Gülen links: The Turkish Education Ministry is set to close over 1,600 private education institutions allegedly linked to the Gülen movement. Legal actions have been taken against 936 private schools, 449 student dormitories and 284 private institutions suspected of being run Gülen movement. Meanwhile, work permits for some 27,157 personnel who used to work at Gülen-affiliated schools have been rescinded by the Education Ministry and they have been barred from working at other private schools. A panel of trustees has been appointed to a company based in the Aegean province of İzmir which runs some 29 education institutions, for allegedly recruiting for and providing financial aid to the outlawed Gülen organization. The administration of Sema and Şelale A.Ş., which is also known for its Yamanlar Private College in İzmir, was taken over by a trustee panel. Police teams carried out an operation on Yamanlar College, which was alleged to be the first education institution affiliated with the Gülen movement in Turkey. Report by Hürriyet Daily News, read more.


July 21, 2016
Three soldiers arrested for killing five people with tank in Istanbul: Three coup plotting soldiers have been arrested for rolling over and killing five people while operating a tank in Istanbul’s Esenler district during the July 15 failed coup attempt. Capt. Serdar Değirmendere, Sgt. Maksut Keleşoğlu and Specialized Sgt. İdris Yeter were caught by Esenler district police and arrested after being sent to court on July 21, Doğan News Agency reported. “We received information from Lt. Col. Serbülent Eker that there was an attack on Istanbul police headquarters on Vatan Street. Upon this information we departed from the unit in Topkule to save it,” said Keleşoğlu in his testimony, while adding that he learned about the coup attempt from his relatives. “My relatives texted me saying that there was a coup attempt going on. I replied to them by saying that there was no coup and we went there to support the police headquarters,” he also said. Saying that he thought the tank had left the road and entered a plot, Keleşoğlu added people protesting the coup attempt climbed onto the tank at one point. “The tank started to speed up and slow down at one point. I thought it went off the road and entered a plot, because it was shaking excessively and was tilting from time to time. The citizens then got on it. I saw Capt. Serdar Değirmendere getting in the tank after being beaten by them in the top turret,” he also said.

Gülenists within Turkish Armed Forces defied orders from PM, HQ: Military: The Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) have released a new statement regarding the July 15 failed coup attempt, saying members of the Gülen-Movement defied orders from Prime Minister Binali Yıldırım and the militaryheadquarters. The TSK received intel from National Intelligence Service (MİT) at around 4 p.m. on July 15 regarding a planned coup attempt and asked for measures to be taken, but the orders were not carried out by followers of Fethullah Gülen. It said the TSK ordered the cancellation of military flights and the return of flights already in the air, as the halting of all military vehicles - including tanks and armored vehicles in the Armed Forces School in the Etimesgut district of Ankara and the Training Division Command. Saying procedures to cancel military flights were completed at 19.26 p.m., the TSK added that the order was reasserted at both 19.56 p.m. and 20.31 p.m. “Despite all of these warnings and orders, it was determined that take-offs were carried out from several places via using different introductory codes and call names, starting from 21.45 p.m. After FETÖ members tried to take control of the Air Force Operation Center, Air Force Commander Gen. Abidin Ünal, who was in Istanbul, ordered the center to be cleansed of terrorists and disconnected,” the TSK statement said. “The center was made dysfunctional upon the order. Ünal then called [former Air Force Commander] Gen. Akın Öztürk and told him that the jets that took off from the Akıncı Airbase in Ankara were illegal. He also asked him to try to persuade those involved in the uprising,” the statement also said. “In line with the orders of the prime minister and the defense minister, plans were made in reaction to illegal take-offs. Several F-16s took off and forced the planes in the air to land. The planes were notified that they would be shot down if they did not comply with the orders,” it added. “The airstrips at the Akıncı Air Base were bombed with F-4 planes and control was established. In addition, in order to halt the FETÖ members and make them surrender, several points around the base were bombed,” the statement added. The TSK also stated that all those involved in the failed coup attempt would be “punished in the harshest way.”

AKP deputy describes attack on Erdoğan’s hotel during failed coup attempt: AKP Muğla deputy Nihat Öztürk, who was with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on July 15 during the attack on his hotel in the Marmaris district has described the night of the attack, saying Erdoğan left the hotel 45 minutes before the coup plotters arrived. He said Erdogan took off from his hotel between 12.15 and 12:30 a.m. on July 16. “The president departed from Marmaris and landed in Dalaman [also in Muğla]. But there is an air base and a naval base in Dalaman and the coup plotters were there, so he landed with his lights turned off. His plane then took off from there with the lights turned off and landed in Istanbul in the same way,” Öztürk told state-run Anadolu Agency on July 21. “The fact that the coup plotting soldiers had waited for a while in the nearby Okluk Bay saved us time in terms of getting our president out of there,” he added. Saying that he went to Erdoğan’s hotel at around 9.45 p.m. after learning there was an “unusual situation” going on, Öztürk noted that Erdoğan requested citizens to hit the streets to resist the coup attempt. “The president told me that he wanted people to be in the squares. We then ensured that the people came to the front of the hotel rather than the squares. Our friends then started to show up after half an hour,” he added. During his interview, Öztürk said Erdoğan “never considered going to the Greek island of Rhodes,” despite it being only around 15 minutes from his hotel. “We didn’t even talk about going there. He didn’t say, ‘I could go to Rhodes and be safe.’ I’m proud of myself for doing politics with this kind of leader,” he added. Read more.
President Erdoğan decided to fly to Istanbul at the last minute, Energy Minister Albayrak says: Speaking to A Haber, a news network of Turkuvaz Media Group, Berat Albayrak, the Minister of Energy and President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's son-in-law, spoke out about the historic night of the attempted coup. "In the case that Istanbul was taken over by coup plotters we had four other alternatives, Bodrum, Dalaman, İzmir and Aydın," Albayrak said. "After getting different warnings from various people, we got in touch with government executives. We first talked to Prime Minister Binali Yıldırım. As time went by, we realized that it was a coup attempt, we knew this around 09:30 -10:00 p.m. (...) "There were three helicopters doing observational flights over us. We simultaneously phoned national media outlets to let them know what was going on. We only managed to establish a live braodcast via phone," he added. "He [Erdoğan] performed his ablution, he prayed and then we all walked to the helicopter," said Albayrak, telling step by step of what actually happened that night. "The jets were literally flying past us 50 meters away, we managed to arrive in Istanbul without being noticed, almost like a ghost." Read more.


Turkey: Evidence points to FETO hand in failed coup: A video released after the thwarted coup has shown a FETO-linked police officer entering a tank deployed outside of Istanbul Police Department on the night of July 15. In testimony given to Ankara prosecutors, Lieutenant Colonel Levent Turkkan, the aide of Chief of Turkey's General Staff Gen. Hulusi Akar, also admitted having links to the group. Turkkan said he was a loyal member of the FETO group since his youth. "I am a member of the parallel state, or FETO. I have served this community for years voluntarily. I have obeyed the orders and instructions of the big brothers exactly," he said. He also confessed to spying on former chief of staff Necdet Ozel during between 2011 and 2015. Turkkan said he initially served as deputy aide and later became an aide after his chief retired. Turkkan said he fulfilled the Gulen movement’s orders after becoming a close aide in the General Staff. "I was spying on [former] Chief of Staff Necdet Ozel all the time. I put a bug in the room in the morning and took it back in the evening hours," Turkkan said. "The device has its own capacity and could wiretap for 10-15 hours."
According to Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor's Office, the authorities have reached text messages in a telephone belonging to Zeki T., one of former police chiefs held as part of the coup probe. The messages read that “big brothers” should disobey the police orders. "All should head to General Staff, all of you contact each other, inform one another, even the retired ones. All retired ones in Ankara take their guns and shot all resisters [to coup]," he wrote in his messages. Revealed evidence has also disclosed that the wives of two military suspects, Haldun Gulmez and Recep Zafer, were among those investigated in another FETO-linked case, a 2010 civil service recruitment exam scandal. Adil Oksuz, an assistant professor of theology at Sakarya University and allegedly a senior member of the Gulen movement there, was caught at Akinci Air Base, north of Ankara on July 16. During his interrogation, Oksuz claimed he was there to inspect land he intended to buy. However, it turned out he arrived in Turkey from a foreign country two days ago before the failed coup attempt. During a raid on his office in the university on July 19, police seized documents and a book written by Fetullah Gulen. Read more.


3 soldiers arrested over coup attack on Erdogan's hotel: Three soldiers were arrested Wednesday over the attack on the hotel where Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his family were vacationing during the initial hours of Friday’s deadly coup, according to judicial sources. Two police officers were martyred in a gun battle and seven others injured. Erdogan has said publicly that if he had not left the hotel when he did, he might have died in the attack. Maj. Gen. Gokhan Sahin Sonmezates, 1st Lt. Hasan Arslanbay, and Sgt. Serkan Elci were arrested in the Mugla province then jailed in the Aegean Izmir province, the source said, speaking on condition of anonymity due to restrictions on speaking with the media. Read more.


List of some 600 military personel submitted last Tuesday to army's headquarters: Intelligence sources say many of the officers who took part in the coup were on a list of some 600 high-ranking military personnel accused of Gülenist ties that was submitted by the national intelligence service to the army’s headquarters last Tuesday. The officers were facing dismissal in August during the annual appointments and promotions in the Turkish military. Reported by Guardian. Read more.


July 20, 2016
Turkey declares three-month state of emergency: During a state of emergency, detention periods can be extended beyond 48 hours, which is the maximum amount of detention time before suspects can be tried by a court under normal constitutional procedures. The state of emergency will also allow authorities to impose limited or full curfews, as well as prevent people from gathering or traveling at certain times or in certain places. Body, vehicle and property searches and the seizure of potential evidence will be authorized as well. People will also be asked to carry their IDs with them everywhere. The authorities will also be able to ban the pressing, publishing, distributing and replicating of certain newspapers, magazines, pamphlets, books and leaflets, as well as seize such publications that were banned previously. Controlling, recording, and banning certain speeches, scripts, pictures, films, records, theaters and films, as well as audio and image records and all audio-related broadcasts, will also be possible. The practice will limit certain individuals’ or groups’ entrance to certain places and will permit removing them from certain places. Public gatherings and meetings, marches and parades can be banned or postponed by the authorities. The operations of associations can also be stopped without exceeding three months. Read more.

Erdogan's chief military aide remanded over coup bid Recep Tayyip Erdogan's aide Ali Yazici is charged with having links Gülen-Movement. An Ankara court on Wednesday remanded chief military aide of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan into custody for his alleged links to July 15 coup attempt, a judicial source said. Read more.

Alleged post-coup duty list revealed: A list containing the names of hundreds of soldiers with corresponding duty posts, allegedly naming their would-be titles if the July 15 coup attempt had been successful, has surfaced, however its top two slots were left blank. The document listed the names of 413 senior-level soldiers and their would-be post-coup appointments had the failed attempt succeeded overnight on July 15. Two slots, including the name of the would-be Chief of General Staff and Commander of the Land Forces, were omitted by the coup plotters, as reports claimed the former post was planned to be offered to seating Chief of General Staff Gen. Hulusi Akar, who was said to have turned down the proposal. According to the list, a number of senior soldiers including Commander of the Turkish Gendarmerie Forces Gen. Galip Mendi, Commander of the 2nd Army Gen. Adem Huduti and Commander of the 3rd Army Gen. İsmail Serdar Savaş were set to continue their posts, while some others were to be given additional titles, such as general manager of Turkey’s state-run TRT television, the prestigious Turkish Airlines (THY) and mayoral posts in Istanbul, Ankara and İzmir. The list suggested that Lt. Gen. Yıldırım Güvenç would have been appointed general manager of TRT television, Lt. Gen. Satı Bahadır Köse – currently the 3rd Army Corps Commander – would have been named the mayor of the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality and Lt. Gen, Mustafa Özsoy – head of intelligence at the Chief of General Staff- would have been named undersecretary of the Prime Ministry. The would-be governors of Istanbul, Ankara and İzmir were listed as Maj. Gen. Fethi Alpay, Brig. Kemal Akçınar and Brig. Veyis Savaş, respectively. Read more.

Turkish pro-coup commander says he only followed orders: One of the Turkish army commanders arrested over Friday’s failed coup has told prosecutors he was only following orders. According to testimony given by Brigadier Ozkan Aydogdu to Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office and obtained by Anadolu Agency, the commander of the 2nd Armored Brigade in Istanbul said he was first informed of the “action plan” on July 13, two days prior to the coup attempt. “The martial law plan contained information about the locations to be secured by the military units under my command,” Aydogdu said. The locations reportedly included Sabiha Gokcen Airport, Fatih Sultan Mehmet Bridge and the Asian side of the Bosphorus Bridge, among others. Aydogdu said his troops were also tasked with the reinforcement of the 1st Army Headquarters and the Riot Police Department in Istanbul’s Uskudar district, on the city’s Asian side. “I received the written order at around 6:30 p.m. It did not have a wet signature, but it was signed by the General Staff, and it had a classification number,” he said. “I immediately informed my troops, and ordered them to secure the given locations,” he went on to say, adding tanks “loaded with ammunition” took off right away. “Later on, two of my battalion commanders called me on the phone to say that they were not able to proceed due to heavy traffic, and civilians started climbing on the tanks. “I told them to fire a few shots in the air if necessary to scare the civilians away,” he said. Aydogdu said he only learned of the coup attempt in the early morning hours, when he saw on TV that Chief of Staff Hulusi Akar, who he thought gave the order, was saved after being held hostage. “I heard his anti-coup remarks. Then, I got a signed message from the 3rd Army Corps Headquarters, calling on all military troops to withdraw,” he said, adding he surrendered to police who came to arrest him shortly after. Aydogdu denied having any connections to the “illegal structure named the Fetullah Terrorist Organization", commonly referred to as the ‘parallel state’, saying he only followed the orders given to him. "In the plan, I was assigned as the Deputy Commander under Martial Law. I only followed an order which I believed was true because the chain of command requires that you duly execute orders,” he concluded.  Read more.


List with arrested officers: Published by http://www.sabah.com.tr. Arrested people are marked with "Tutuklandi"
. Muharrem Kose was arrested, Colonel, earlier Chief of Staff Legal Counsel
. 2. Ordu Komutanı Orgeneral Adem Huduti (Tutuklandı)
. Eski Hava Kuvvetleri Komutanı Orgeneral Akın Öztürk (Tutuklandı)
-7. Ana Jet Üs Komutanı Tuğgeneral Emin Ayık (Tutuklandı)
- 3. Kolordu Komutanı Korgeneral Erdal Öztürk (Tutuklandı)
- Akıncı 4. Ana Jet Üssü Komutanı Tuğgeneral Hakan Evrim (Tutuklandı)
- İstanbul Kuzey Deniz Saha Komutanı Koramiral Ömer Faruk Harmancık(Tutuklandı)
- Çakırsöğüt Jandarma Komando Tugay Komutanı Tuğgeneral Ali Osman Gürcan(Tutuklandı)
- Eski Genelkurmay Başkanlığı Adli Müşaviri Albay Muharrem Köse (Tutuklandı)
- 70. Mekanize Piyade Tugay Komutanı ve Garnizon Komutanı Tuğgeneral Salih Kırhan
- Bingöl 49. Komando Tugay Komutanı Tuğgeneral Yunus Kotaman (Tutuklandı)
- Bolu 2. Komando Tugay Komutanı Tuğgeneral İsmail Güneşer
- Sivas Garnizon Komutanı ve 5. Piyade Er Eğitim Tugay Komutanı Tuğgeneral Fatih Celaleddin Sağır
- Aksaz Deniz Üs Komutanı Tuğamiral Namık Alper
- Eğirdir Dağ Komando Okulu ve Eğitim Merkez Komutanı Tümgeneral Metin Akkaya (Tutuklandı)
- Isparta Garnizon Komutanı Tuğgeneral Mustafa Kurutmaz (Tutuklandı)
- Balıkesir Garnizon Komutanı Tümgeneral Mehmet Akyürek (Tutuklandı)
- Çanakkale Boğaz ve Garnizon Komutanı Tuğamiral Serdar Ahmet Gündoğdu
- Muharip Hava Kuvveti ve Hava Füze Savunma Komutanı Kurmay Başkanı Hava Pilot Tümgeneral Suat Murat Semiz
- 1. Ana Jet Üs Komutanı Hava Pilot Tuğgeneral Dursun Pak
- 1. Birleştirilmiş Hava Harekat Merkezi ve JFAC Komutanı Hava Pilot Tuğgeneral Recep Ünal
- 5. Zırhlı Tugay Komutanı Tuğgeneral Murat Soysal
- Ege Ordu Komutanlığı Kurmay Başkanı Tümgeneral Memduh Hakbilen (Tutuklandı)
- 20. Zırhlı Tugay Komutanı Tuğgeneral Metin Alpcan
- Mersin Garnizon ve Akdeniz Bölge Komutanı Tuğamiral Nejat Atilla Demirhan
- 39. Mekanize Piyade Tugay Komutanı Tuğgeneral Hasan Polat
- 10. Tanker Üs Komutanı Hava Pilot Tuğgeneral Bekir Ercan Van
- 54. Mekanize Piyade Tugay Komutanı Tuğgeneral Hidayet Arı (Tutuklandı)
- Anfibi Deniz Piyade Tugay Komutanı Tuğamiral Halil İbrahim Yıldız (Tutuklandı)
- Deniz Hava Us Komutanı Tuğamiral Tezcan Kızılelma
- Bornova 57. Topçu Tugay Komutanı Tuğgeneral Mehmed Nuri Başol (Tutuklandı)
- 3. Ordu Harekat Kurmay Başkanı Tuğgeneral Ekrem Çağlar
- Amasya 15. Piyade Eğitim Tugay Komutanı Tuğgeneral Mustafa Yılmaz(Tutuklandı)
- 55. Mekanize Piyade Tugay Komutanı Tuğgeneral Bekir Koçak (Tutuklandı)
- 65. Mekanize Piyade Tugay Komutanı Tuğgeneral Cemalettin Doğan
- Tokat Jandarma Bölge Komutanı Tuğgeneral Adnan Arslan (Tutuklandı)
- Samsun Garnizon Komutanı Tuğgeneral Mehmet Şükrü Eken (Tutuklandı)
- Kastamonu Jandarma Bölge Komutanı Tuğgeneral Faruk Bal (Tutuklandı)
- Manisa Garnizon Komutanı Tuğgeneral Yavuz Ekrem Arslan
- Bitlis 10. Komando Tugay Komutanı Tuğgeneral Arif Settar Afşar
- Ardahan 2. Hudut Tugay Komutanı Tuğgeneral Erdem Kargın
- Ağrı 1. Zırhlı Tugay Komutanı Tuğgeneral Mehmet Ozan
- Kara Kuvvetleri Astsubay Meslek Yüksekokulu Komutanı Tuğgeneral Şenol Alkış
- 2. Ordu Kurmay Başkanı ve Malatya Garnizon Komutanı Tümgeneral Avni Angun (Tutuklandı)
- 51. Motorlu Piyade Tugay Komutanı Tuğgeneral Abdulkerim Ünlü (Tutuklandı)
- Çukurca 2. Hudut Tugay Komutanı Tuğgeneral Cihat Erdoğan
- Kayseri Komando Tugay Komutanı Tuğgeneral Aydoğan Aydın
- 12. Hava Ulaştırma Ana Üs Komutanı Tuğgeneral Cemal Akyıldız
- 58. Topçu Er Eğitim Tugayı Komutanı Tuğgeneral Murat Aygün (Tutuklandı)
- Erzincan 59. Topçu Eğitim Tugayı Komutanı Tuğgeneral Yüksel Gönültaş
- Denizli Garnizon ve 11. Komando Tugay Komutanı Tuğgeneral Kamil Özhan Özbakır (Tutuklandı)
- Siirt 3. Komando Tugay Komutanı Tuğgeneral Ahmet Şimşek (Tutuklandı)
- Afyonkarahisar İkmal ve Garnizon Komutanı Tuğgeneral İsmet Gökhan Gülmez
- 34. Hudut Tugay Komutanı Tuğgeneral Ali Salnur
- Hava Kuvvetleri Komutanlığı Personel Başkanı Tümgeneral Cevat Yazgılı
- Kara Kuvvetleri Komutanlığı Personel Plan Daire Başkanı Tuğgeneral Ahmet Bican Kırker
- Genelkurmay Başkanlığı Harekat Plan Daire Başkan Yardımcısı Tuğgeneral Alpaslan Çetin
- Genelkurmay Komuta Kontrol ve Hava Füze Savunma Komutanı Tuğgeneral Mehmet Arif Pazarlıoğlu
- Hava Kuvvetleri Komutanlığı Lojistik Başkanlığı Sistemler Daire Başkanı Tuğgeneral Recep Sami Özatak
- Hava Kuvvetleri Komutanlığı İstihbarat Daire Başkanı Tuğgeneral Aydemir Taşçı
- Kara Kuvvetleri Komutanlığı Kuvvet Geliştirme Teşkilat Daire Başkanı Tuğgeneral Erkan Caha
- Hava Kuvvetleri Komutanlığı Hava Savunma Komuta Kontrol Başkanı Tuğgeneral Kemal Mutlum
- Kara Kuvvetleri Komutanlığı Eğitim Daire Başkanı Tuğgeneral Ali Rıza Çağlar
- Kara Kuvvetleri Komutanlığı'nda görevli Tuğgeneral Adem Boduroğlu
- Deniz Kuvvetleri Komutanlığı Denetleme Değerlendirme Başkanı Tuğamiral Ali Murat Dede
- Kara Harp Okulu Dekanı Tuğgeneral Kerim Acar
- Genelkurmay Başkanlığı Personel Başkanı Korgeneral İlhan Talu (Tutuklandı) - Genelkurmay Başkanlığı Personel İşlem Daire Başkanı Tuğgeneral Uğur Şahin
- Konya Jandarma Bölge Komutanı Tuğgeneral Timurcan Ermiş
- Deniz Kuvvetleri Komutanlığı İkmal Daire Başkanı Tuğamiral Hasan Kulaç
- Deniz Kuvvetleri Komutanlığı Plan ve Prensipler Başkanı Tuğamiral Oğuz Karaman
- Genelkurmay Başkanlığı İstihbarat Daire Başkanı Korgeneral Mustafa Özsoy
- Deniz Kuvvetleri Komutanlığı Harekat Eğitim Daire Başkanı Tuğamiral İhsan Bakar
- Deniz Kuvvetleri Komutanlığı İstihbarat Daire Başkanı Tuğamiral Murat Şirzai
- Jandarma Okullar Komutanı Tuğgeneral Sadık Köroğlu
- Hava Teknik Okulları Komutanı Tümgeneral Ahmet Cural (Tutuklandı)
- Ulaştırma Personel ve Eğitim Komutanı Tümgeneral Mustafa İlter (Tutuklandı)
- İstihkam Okulu ve Eğitim Merkezi Komutanı Tümgeneral Osman Nadir Saylan (Tutuklandı)
- Ege Deniz Bölge Komutanı Tuğamiral Süleyman Manka (Tutuklandı)
- Hava Eğitim Komutanlığı Kurmay Başkanı Tuğgeneral Veyis Savaş
- Gaziemir Hava Sınıf Okulları Komutanı Tuğgeneral Ersal Ölmez
- NATO Kara Komutanlığı Kurmay Başkanı Tümgeneral Salih Sevil (Tutuklandı)
- Ege Ordusu Komutanlığı Kurmay Başkan Yardımcısı Tuğgeneral Hakan Eser
- Amfibi Okullar Komutanı Tuğamiral Erdal Ergün (Tutuklandı)
- Foça Batı Görev Grup Komutanı Tuğamiral Yaşar Çamur (Tutuklandı)
- 23. Jandarma Sınır Tümen Komutanı Tümgeneral Abdullah Baysar
- Yüksekova 3. Piyade Tümen Komutanı Tümgeneral Halil İbrahim Ergin
- Hakkari Dağ ve Komando Tugay Komutanı Tuğgeneral Ahmet Otal
- Kayseri Garnizon Komutanı Hava Pilot Tümgeneral İsmail Yalçın
- Merzifon 5. Anajet Üs Komutanı Tuğgeneral Cengiz Karacabey
- Akçay 6. Motorlu Piyade Tugay Komutanı Tuğgeneral Mesut Savaş
- Polatlı Topçu Füze Okul Komutanı Tümgeneral Osman Ünlü
- Afyonkarahisar İkmal ve Garnizon Komutanı Tuğgeneral Gökhan İsmet Gülmez(Tutuklandı)
- 3. Ordu Harekat Kurmay Yar Başkanı Tuğgeneral Ekrem Çağlar (Tutuklandı)
- Tümgeneral Fethi Alpay (Tutuklandı)
- Tümgeneral Mehmet Özlü (Tutuklandı)
- Tümgeneral Haluk Şahar (Tutuklandı)
- Tümgeneral Serdar Gülbaş (Tutuklandı)
- Tümgeneral Şaban Umut (Tutuklandı)
- Tuğgeneral İrfan Can (Tutuklandı)
- Tuğgeneral Erdal Akyıldız (Tutuklandı)
- Tuğgeneral İmdat Bahri Biber (Tutuklandı)
- Tuğgeneral Ahmet Biçer (Tutuklandı)
-Tuğgeneral Özkan Aydoğdu (Tutuklandı)
- Tuğgeneral Eyyüp Gürler (Tutuklandı)
- Tuğamiral Ömer Mesut Ak (Tutuklandı)
Gelibolu 18'inci Mekanize Piyade Tugay Komutanı İsmail Gürgen (Tutuklandı)



July 19, 2016
Turkish pilots who downed Russian jet part of coup plot: Official: Two Turkish pilots who played a role in the downing of a Russian jet in November are in custody over the July 15 failed coup in Turkey, an official said late on June 18. Report by Hürriyet Daily News. Read more.

Turkish intel informed top generals hours before coup attempt, says army: Turkey’s National Intelligence Organization (MİT) informed the country’s top generals hours before the coup attempt was initiated on July 15, while Chief of General Staff Gen. Hulusi Akar evaluated the information and issued all necessary warnings and orders against “this despicable and miserable attempt,” according to a statement published on the General Staff’s official website on July 19. It was evaluated "at the General Staff headquarters with the attendance of Chief of Staff General Hulusi Akar, Chief of the Army General Salih Zeki Çolak and Deputy Chief of Staff General Yaşar Güler,”. The statement also added that Gen. Akar was threatened and forced to sign and read out on TV the “treason document, so-called declaration” and that the chief of staff had rejected these demands with “statements that include curses and with dander and firmly.” The statement said the “answer deserved” was given to the pro-coup group with the immediate action of the TSK’s “real sons” and the “hero police members” as well as with the “noble nation’s wide understanding and heroic defiance.”


July 18, 2016
Interior Ministry suspends 8,777 officials after Turkey's failed coup attempt - Constitutional Court has launched disciplinary action against two of its judges: The Interior Ministry has suspended 8,777 officials following the failed coup attempt of July 15, including 7,899 police officers, 614 gendarmerie officers, 30 provincial governors and 47 district governors. The Constitutional Court has launched disciplinary action against two of its judges over alleged links to Gülen. Judges Alparslan Altan - vizepresident of the court - and Erdal Tercan were detained one day after the coup attempt. Report by Hürriyet Daily News. Read more


July 16, 2016
Arrests of several senior military figures: 2nd army generals Adem Huduti and Avni Angün. Read more. Lieutenant General Erdal Ozturk, the commander of the Third Army, was also arrested. Read more.

Turkeys darkest night: Laura Pitel: It was 3.30am and the Turkish leadership was insisting that everything was under control. It didn’t feel like it. I was backed into the corner of a hotel room in Istanbul, trying to keep away from the windows as the building shook from sonic booms made by fighter jets tearing over the city’s rooftops. Three hundred miles away in the capital city, Ankara, plotters seeking to overthrow the government had seized tanks and jets and were bombing parliament. Civilians were being mown down in the streets. The presenter on CNN Türk was narrating with admirable calm the takeover of her own station’s building. read more.

The Turkish government has cut off electricity to the base at Incirlik.