Interior Ministry opens investigation into anti-coup People’s Special Forces group

ANKARA

The Turkish Interior Ministry on Jan. 12 announced that an investigation has been launched into the People’s Special Forces (HÖH), a group that emerged in the midst of the fight against the July 15, 2016 coup attempt, following recent news reports that the group was illegally luring members from the public.

“After recent news reports on HÖH being an illegal formation, our ministry has begun investigating the organization,” the statement read.

A criminal complaint was also filed against a web-based organization with a similar name as the People’s Special Forces, a self-claimed entity that is not officially registered, the statement added.

The group said it welcomed the investigation.

“The reason why we feel content with this order is that we will rid ourselves from unfounded blames and accusations,” the group said in a statement, Doğan News Agency reported.

“We set up a small tent after the heinous July 15, 2016 coup attempt while on duty on July 16,” Fatih Kaya, the leader of the group, told private broadcaster CNN TÜRK in an interview on Dec. 29.

“Then on Nov. 30, 2016, we looked into whether there were any problems with the group’s name and then founded the organization in Trabzon’s Ortahisar district,” Kaya added, referring to the Black Sea province.

According to Kaya, the group has 7,000 members in 22 cities across the country and their mission is to ensure the legacy of those who fought against the attempted takeover lives on.