Turkish intelligence says key Gülenist suspect Adil Öksüz was not agent 

Turkey’s National Intelligence Organization (MİT) has said that Adil Öksüz, a key coup figure whose whereabouts have been unknown since July 2016, did not serve for the spy agency and was not recruited as an informant, in response to claims made by main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu. 

“Öksüz has not been its informant inside the terror organization and has not worked for MİT,” the intelligence agency said in a rare statement on April 6. 

The statement came after Kılıçdaroğlu questioned the mysterious release of Öksüz after he was detained in the aftermath of the July 15 coup attempt, believed to have been staged by the Fethullahist Terror Organization (FETÖ).

“The issue of how Adil Öksüz was freed is a matter of the judiciary and there is an ongoing investigation on it by relevant institutions,” it said.  

Kılıçdaroğlu had claimed that Öksüz was freed by a law that protects members of intelligence organizations from being detained or prosecuted without the consent of the prime minister. 

Öksüz disappeared right after July 15, 2016 and has been at large since then. Justice Minister Bekir Bozdağ recently claimed that Öksüz could have either been executed by FETÖ or is being protected by some forces. 

MİT’s statement also cited Kılıçdaroğlu’s call to the government for the disclosure of a list of users of ByLock, a mobile application used by members of FETÖ. 

It stressed on the role of ByLock in the fight against FETÖ and clearing its members from state institutions, informing that “findings from ByLock have been shared with the judiciary, security forces and other relevant bodies simultaneously since May 2016.”
 
It is believed that there are more than 200,000 users of the ByLock communication system.

MİT slams CHP

“Our organization does not deal with these sort of claims, which are based on a psychological war that is being waged by foreign powers and terrorist organizations. However, in these very extraordinary days, the fact that these claims have been brought to the agenda by the main opposition party obliges us to respond,” the statement added. 

The MİT criticized the CHP for voicing these claims, which it said have also been expressed by members of FETÖ. 

“This will not contribute to the ongoing struggle against FETÖ and it will also harm our national security,” it added.