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Turkish authorities have arrested a former army captain and helicopter pilot accused of involvement in the 2016 failed coup attempt and an alleged plot to assassinate President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
The country’s Interior Ministry said on Saturday that the suspect, identified by the initials BK, was a member of the Fetullah Gulen Organisation unit linked to the attempted assassination of President Erdogan in Marmaris during the July 2016 coup attempt.
According to the ministry, BK was wanted under an Interpol Red Notice and had been under investigation for his alleged role in the operation targeting the president during the failed military takeover.
The suspect was captured in a joint security operation carried out by intelligence units from Afyonkarahisar and Eskisehir provinces, coordinated by the Intelligence Department of Türkiye’s Security Directorate.
The Interior Ministry said counterterrorism police located and detained BK in Afyonkarahisar as part of ongoing efforts to track down individuals accused of involvement with the Gülen movement.
The ministry reaffirmed that Türkiye would continue its operations against the organisation and its networks, which Ankara has blamed for orchestrating the attempted coup.
The July 2016 coup attempt was launched by elements within the Turkish military but was defeated after widespread public resistance and intervention by loyalist security forces.
The Turkish government has accused the Gülen organisation of planning and executing the coup bid.
The attempted takeover left 253 people dead and 2,734 others injured, making it one of the most significant security crises in Türkiye’s recent history. Authorities have since pursued thousands of individuals suspected of links to the organisation.
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