Turkey ‘expects response’ from Germany about key coup suspect Öksüz

ANKARA

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Germany has not responded to a diplomatic note from Turkey on Adil Öksüz, one of the key suspects in the cases into the failed July 2016 coup attempt, Justice Minister Abdülhamit Gül has stated. 

“We have not yet received a response from Germany on this issue,” Gül said, speaking to reporters on Aug. 24 about the note to Berlin asking about intelligence that the fugitive suspect is in Germany.

“We expect Germany to take the necessary steps in line with both international law and international agreements,” said Gül ahead of the ruling Justice and Development Party’s (AKP) central decision-making body (MKYK) meeting. 

An Ankara court has issued an arrest warrant for Öksüz, he recalled. 

Öksüz, a key coup figure whose whereabouts have been unknown since July 2016, was initially caught while trying to escape from the Akıncı air base, which was used as headquarters by the coup attempters, on the night of July 15, 2016. However, he was released a short while later by a court in the Sincan district of Ankara. 

Pro-government daily Yeni Şafak recently claimed that Öksüz had taken shelter in Germany, saying the German authorities did not officially inform Ankara about his presence in the country.

Öksüz arrived in Istanbul on July 18, 2016 from Ankara and then traveled to the western province of Sakarya, Yeni Şafak reported.

Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu said in an interview on Aug. 16 that a note about him was sent to Berlin.