Former Turkish Chief of Staff Özel informed of coup attempt in 2015: Report

ANKARA

HÜRRİYET photo

Former Chief of General Staff Gen. Necdet Özel was informed on a potential coup attempt in 2015, but no action was taken although Özel had ordered an investigation to be carried out, according to a main opposition report that investigated the July 2016 coup attempt, daily Cumhuriyet reported June 13.

A 14-page backgrounder which indicated “an early and immature coup attempt could be undertaken,” which “the president’s chief aides need to be changed immediately” and which included the names of commissioned officers suspected of being Fethullahist Terrorist Organization (FETÖ) members, was shared with then-Chief of General Staff Özel in January 2015, the Republican People’s Party (CHP) said, citing a report of military commission experts.

Following the coup attempt, the Ankara Chief Prosecutor’s Office assigned a commission of experts, including a brigadier general and two colonels to investigate the attempt and write a report, which was submitted on Feb. 21. The commission also included the 14-page backgrounder submitted to Özel.

“In the event of an intervention against organization [FETÖ] members within the structure of the military, [the organization] could distribute secret tape recordings once again,” the document submitted to Özel said, according to the commission’s report, adding that the organization could conduct an early and immature coup attempt if its initial plans do not work.

Özel put his initials on the document on Jan. 30, 2015, writing to an unnamed gendarme commander that the report was to be “examined.” The military experts report has indicated that “no initiated administrative or judiciary investigation has been determined following this report.”