15 July’s enigmatic figure escapes prosecution

It has taken Ankara Reuplic Chief Prosecution two years to complete the investigation into the offences of “attempting to change the constitutional order” and “FETO membership” it was conducting against Major O.K., who went from Army Aviation Command to the National Intelligence Agency (MİT) prior to the coup attempt and gave a tip-off. The Chief Prosecution has decided to discontinue the proceedings against Major O.K., who was admitted to MİT following the tip-off for his safety. It was stated in the decision that “no evidence was forthcoming that the suspect participated in the coup attempt and was a FETO administrator or member.” However, O.K. himself confessed in an interview conducted after the coup attempt by chief prosecutor at the time, Harun Kodalak, that he had been taken to Pennsylvania by his organisation “big brother” and a meeting had been arranged for him with Fethullah Gülen.

One of the most enigmatic events of the 15 July coup attempt came with Major O.K., who served at Army Aviation Command, going to MİT and making a tip-off after he had been given prior notice of the coup attempt. From information that has found its way into the 15 July indictment, O.K. went to MİT headquarters at 14:30 and intimated that initially Undersecretary Hakan Fidan would be taken in a helicopter that would take off from Army Aviation on the evening of 15 July. During interrogation by MİT officials, O.K. noted that this might be a coup attempt. At this, MİT Undersecretary Hakan Fidan, having become aware of the coup attempt, went to headquarters and acquainted Chief of the General Staff Hulusi Akar with the situation. However, with there being no mention of a coup at the meetings held with Akar, only the operation targeting Hakan Fidan was broached. Neither Hakan Fidan nor Hulusi Akar directly informed President Erdoğan and Prime Minister Yıldırım of the events.

O.K. confessed

The coupists, their suspicious aroused with Hakan Fidan coming to headquarters and Hulusi Akar ordering the closure of air space, brought the attempt forward from three at night to 8:30 in the evening. Ankara Republic Chief Prosecution, having launched an investigation following the quelling of the 15 July coup attempt with popular support, held a meeting with O.K. at the Ankara Judges’ Social Facilities. Then Ankara Chief Prosecutor, Harun Kodalak, and Deputy Chief Prosecutor, Necip Cem İşçimen, took down what O.K. told them in a record.

In his interview not deemed an official statement, O.K. recounted how in 1996 when he was part of the organisation he was taken by the FETO “big brother” responsible for him into the presence of organisation ringleader Fethullah Gülen. Prior to the attempt, on the other hand, he had been on holiday with his family and Pilot Major Deniz Aldemir had called him on 13 July and asked him to be at the unit on Friday and, accordingly, he had returned to the unit on 15 July. Indicating that on going to the unit Akedmir had told him, “I knew you were from the ‘the Service’ but I won’t labour the point; we’re having activity tonight. For example, I’ll take Hakan Fidan. Plenty of blood will flow,” O.K. stated, “I was startled and unable to say a thing. With him saying he knew I was from ‘the Service,’ I realised that they were going to do something detrimental to the country. I then departed without authorisation from my unit and went to MİT.” The Prosecution sent a copy of the decision to the Land Forces Command with the reminder that it could be objected to within fifteen days pursuant to the Code of Criminal Procedure. There was absolutely no mention in the decision to discontinue the proceedings of the tip-off O.K. made on going to MİT. Despite O.K. having intimated in the interview previously conducted that he had become acquainted with the organisation in his middle school years and had been in contact with it until 2014, there was absolutely no mention in the decision of the suspect’s past ties with the organisation, either.

I TOLD MİT THERE MIGHT BE A COUP

In the course of the interview, the two prosecutors inquired persistently of O.K. as to whether he had said there would be a coup. O.K. replied as follows:

“MİT came to mind. I left the main entrance at about 13:55. I sent a message to Major Deniz. I said, ‘I cannot fly.’ I reached MİT by taxi at about 14:20. I said to the official at the door, ‘I have come to give MİT information about the parallelists in the Turkish Armed Forces.’ Two people came at about 15:00. They were nervous. They asked me what was going to happen. I said there might be big activity or even there might be coup activity. They asked what was meant by taking Hakan Fidan. And I said that, given they had spoken of plenty of blood flowing, this activity would not be well-intentioned activity. I remember very well having used the words, ‘There might be a coup’.”

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