Key FETÖ suspect Kemal Öksüz caught in Armenia on US warrant

ISTANBUL

A key figure linked to the Fethullahist Terrorist Organization (FETÖ) has been caught in Armenia with a United States arrest warrant for submitting false documents and statements, Turkish officials said.

Kemal Öksüz, who changed his name to Kevin after receiving U.S. citizenship is the brother of another key FETÖ suspect sought by Turkey, Adil Öksüz. The Armenian press has reported that Öksüz was detained in Yerevan on Aug. 29 in a joint operation run by police and Interpol.

An international search was declared for Öksüz under the U.S. criminal code on Aug. 23, Armenian police reportedly informed local media.

Öksüz is charged with submitting falsified documents to the Office of Congressional Ethics (OCE), established by the U.S. House of Representatives, regarding a trip he coordinated in 2013 for U.S. congressmen, Armenian portal Aysor.am has reported.

As the organizer of the trip to Azerbaijan and Turkey, Öksüz allegedly submitted reports to the OCE that said the NGO, of whose chairmanship he held had received no funding from any source for the relevant trip. However, it was later discovered that the Öksüz-led organization had received funding for the travel expenses from the Azerbaijani government-owned State Oil Company of Azerbaijan Republic (SOCAR), the report claimed.