Top coup suspect strongly suspected to be in Germany

By Cigdem Alyanak

ISTANBUL

There is a strong suspicion that Turkey’s most wanted coup suspect is in Germany, Turkey’s interior minister said late Wednesday.

Speaking during a live broadcast on social media by the Yeni Safak newspaper, Suleyman Soylu said Germany’s attitude toward the July 15, 2016 defeated coup attempt in Turkey has changed in the last three to four months as German authorities are now cooperating with Turkey in its attempt to apprehend the coup suspect.

Stressing that it was the result of efforts shown by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the government and the interior, foreign and justice ministers of Turkey, he added that some assessments on top coup suspect Adil Oksuz had already been completed four to five months ago.

Oksuz, a senior figure in the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO), is accused of masterminding the defeated coup of July 15, 2016 in Turkey.

The 51-year-old theology lecturer has been on the run for nearly two years.

Turkish officials have repeatedly appealed to the German government to arrest and extradite Oksuz after receiving dozens of tips indicating he was hiding in Germany.

Since November last year, German police have been actively searching for Oksuz but have so far failed to find him, according to diplomatic sources.

Several witnesses recently told Anadolu Agency that Turkey’s most wanted man stayed at a small apartment in Berlin early this year under the protection of FETO members.

“There is a strong suspicion that Adil Oksuz is in Germany. And Germany says ‘If he is here, we will do what is necessary; namely, we will do it on behalf of you [Turkey]. Don’t doubt it’,” Soylu said.

In Germany, which is home to more than 3 million Turkish immigrants, FETO has a large network with dozens of private schools, businesses and media organizations.

Since the 2016 defeated coup attempt, nearly 4,000 FETO suspects have come to Germany from Turkey and other countries, according to local media reports.

Several FETO suspects, including former soldiers and diplomats, have applied for asylum in various German federal states.