July 15 and Akıncı Air Base (9): Gülen rebuted Öksüz’s defense

The most important aspect of Fethullah Gülen’s interview broadcasted on July 18 on France 24 was admitting for the first time that Adil Öksüz had visited him in Pennsylvania and therefore he knew him.

‘’A couple of years ago, he came here once. Later in the media, I saw this photograph taken of his son with me. This [photo] is what hundreds of people do. Everyone has come here. I have a photo together with everyone. Therefore, it does not make sense to assert a claim based on people visiting me or taking a picture with me,’’ said Gülen.

The images are easily accessible for everyone once they type the names Gülen and Öksüz in a search engine. It (the photo) shows Öksüz together with his daughter and two sons, sitting kneeled before Gülen.

 It is also possible to come across older photographs of Gülen and Öksüz from the past, showing them sitting together on a ground and praying.

The importance of the photo(s) are that it is one of the most concrete evidences in revealing the relationship between Öksüz—whose presence at Akıncı Air Base on July 15 has gained certainty—and Gülen.

Besides, Gülen also said in the interview that Öksüz had joined the movement 30 years ago when he was a student in one of its study groups.

One of the most important outcomes of Gülen’s statements on France 24 is that it has clearly been proven that Adil Öksüz did not tell the truth in his testimony to the prosecution.

“I have never had a connection, a bond of communion or a relationship based on self-interest in my personal or academic life. I have no connection with Fethullah Gülen or the FETÖ organization or the parallel state structure,” said Öksüz in his statement.

“I never entered Akıncı Air Base,” is another unconvincing statement by Öksüz. Whereas, once we look at the Akıncı indictment, there is a lot of evidence pointing to him spending the night of July 15 on this base.

 The very first is him being caught by the gendarmerie on an open field near Akıncı Air Base at around 11:00 a.m. on July 16, the morning of the coup attempt. His defense, “I was looking for a land” is not convincing at all.

What is more important is the testimony of the three coup plotter soldiers who were present at Akıncı on the night of July 15. The first of them is the commander of Akıncı Air Base, Brigadier Hakan Evrim.

“When I went to the club area, entering the 143rd Fleet, there were almost 30 people in civilian clothing.

 They had notebook computers, laptops and iPads. If I’m not mistaken, the television was also on. They were also very busy with phone calls. I did not know Adil Öksüz previously. I saw Adil Öksüz for the first time at the 143rd Fleet’s club area. I later followed his photos on the media. When I saw Adil Öksüz, he was talking with the people beside him. But I do not know what he was talking about,” said Evrim in his second testimony around three months later on October 11, 2016.

F-16 pilot Lieutenant Müslim Macit who bombed the surroundings of the presidency complex on the morning of July 16 and pilot Albay Uğur Kapan who was assigned to Akıncı Air Base on the night of July 15 and who flew the helicopter that took Chief of General Staff Gen. Hulusi Akar to Çankaya Palace said they saw Öksüz at 143rd Fleet in their testimonies.

In addition two soldiers’ statements, one an anonymous witness and another one a confessor, are among the most important evidences related to Adil Öksüz’s principal role in the coup attempt. The first testimony belongs to Gendarmerie Colonel Hakan Bıyık who first gave his testimony as a secret witness with the nickname “Hat,” whose identity was later revealed.

Bıyık said they went to a three floor villa-type house on Ankara Çayyolu on July 6, 2016. Adil Öksüz joined the meeting, which they held with a group of generals and officers and the all prayed together. Bıyık also said that Öksüz told the group “I spoke with our leader (Fethullah Gülen) a while ago in the other room, he sends his greetings to you,” and talked about the coup’s plans while pronouncing the July 15 date. Bıyık also mentioned that Öksüz talked about the visit he would soon make to United States.

Another statement of an anonymous witness nicknamed “Kuzgun,” shows great parallels with that of Hakar Bıyık’s.

Another striking point in the indictment is that the family circle of Adil Öksüz has been in every respect integrated with the Gülen organization in terms of money movements and business relationships. On the police investigation, 14 people from Öksüz’s family circle were identified for transferring money—most above 100,000 Turkish liras—to Bank Asya following Gülen’s call to transfer money to the bank after its closure in the stock market on August 12, 2014. Nine of the members carry Öksüz’s family name.

Likewise, close relatives of Öksüz—including his wife—were shown to be working in the companies related to the Fethullahist Terror Organization (FETÖ)/Parallel State Structure (PDY), which are now run by referees appointed by the government.

It was revealed that Öksüz, his wife, his brother and his brother-in-law used the organizations communications programme ByLock, which complements the circle.

As we can see, there is more than just a photo taken in Pennsylvania.