Turkish intel, police nab fugitive ex-judge over FETÖ ties

ANKARA

Türkiye’s National Intelligence Organization (MİT) and the Ankara police have apprehended former judge Mustafa Karatay in a joint operation on his house after he spent eight years on the run over his affiliation with FETÖ terrorist organization.

MİT ran surveillance upon a tip-off from a neighbor of Karatay who was identified as a key figure within the terror group responsible for the failed coup attempt against the Turkish government in 2016, security sources said on Oct. 2.

The fugitive former judge was dismissed from his profession following post-coup investigations.

Karatay was found hidden among his clothes in a room of his house in the Yenimahalle district of the capital during the operation, the sources noted.

During the search, police seized a laptop, tablet, phone and other digital devices he used to maintain contact with the organization's senior leadership.

Karatay communicated with the group through an encrypted messaging application known as Signal, according to the sources.

The sources further revealed that Karatay, sought for eight years on charges of "membership in an armed terrorist organization," was a pivotal operative within FETÖ's judicial wing, managing to sustain his connections with the network while in hiding.

During his tenure, Karatay held critical roles for the organization, including presiding over a high criminal court and serving as a specially authorized judge.

Notably, he chaired the judicial panel in the Ergenekon case in the eastern province of Erzincan, in which the court tried 14 defendants, including former Erzincan Chief Public Prosecutor İlhan Cihaner and retired General Saldıray Berk. The 2013 Ergenekon trial was based on fabricated evidence and blames by FETÖ members trying to purge the military officers by accusing them of planning a coup.

The failed coup attempt orchestrated by FETÖ resulted in the deaths of over 250 people, predominantly civilians. In the aftermath, FETÖ infiltrations within the judiciary, military and various ministries were exposed, leading to the dismissal of numerous members.