The hunt for FETO’s ear

Sinan Tartanoğlu
 
With even the Palace troubled at the contradictions between the defences made by the defendants in the trials into the 15 July coup attempt and the inconsistencies between their prosecution statements and court defences, the government has moved into action. The Prime-Ministry, rather than dispel the contradictions and inconsistencies, has begun to look into whether the defendants are receiving instructions from the outside. At the behest of the Ministry of Justice, the Prime-Ministry has moved frequency detection - spectrum experts out into the field to establish whether there are electronic communications receivers or transmitters in the vicinity of prisons. The defences made in the 15 July trials are beginning to attract nationwide attention, not least those in the General Staff overarching trial, the more so as the rank increases. With statements made on detention and in the pre-trial period clashing with court defences, objections have become more vocal. Newspapers close to the government are conjecturing that, ‘Standard defences are beginning to be made. This shows that instructions are being received from the outside.’ The attempt is allegedly being made through the defences to water down the fight against the Fethullah Gülen Terrorist Organisation (FETO). Finally, an objection to the defences has emanated from the Palace. President Tayyip Erdoğan has commented, ‘What are they now saying in the courts despite having been caught red handed? The FETOists, who are putting on a three-monkey act saying, “I didn’t see, hear or speak,” will not manage to extricate themselves from the painful end that awaits them. Who are you putting this act on for? All documents, everything, the footage is out there.’ Erdoğan had previously warned that the case was becoming embroiled in confusion. However, the government, rather than endeavouring to dispel the contradictions that have arisen in statements and defences and bring out the full truth of what transpired on the evening of 15 July, has embarked on a technical exercise. From information obtained it appears that the Prime-Ministry, at the behest of the Ministry of Justice, has begun searches into whether there are electronic communications devices enabling the defendants to communicate with the outside.
Hunt for frequencies
It has been learnt that experts in spectrum analysis, used to detect pirate radio frequencies, have set out on the hunt for frequencies in the vicinity of the prisons where military top-brass are being held, principally Ankara Sincan and Istanbul Silivri. In addition to detecting the transmitter operating at a particular frequency, the goal is to detect the main source of the transmission and the receiver in the prison.