Islam and politics

A deal between Türkiye and the United States on the sale of 40 new F-16s to the former creates a window of opportunity for further improving the bilateral ties should the latter show more respect to the Turkish sensitivities in combatting terrorism.

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has said Türkiye will prevent any future coup attempts similar to the one orchestrated by the FETÖ in 2016.

"July 15 [coup attempt] is the latest example of how much damage an impostor disguised as a teacher can do to our country. We cannot allow such a tragedy to happen again," Erdoğan said, referring to FETÖ's U.S.-based leader, Fetullah Gülen.

Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya has revealed that 445 active police officers, allegedly affiliated with FETÖ, the group behind the 2016 failed coup, have been suspended pending further investigation.

The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) ruled on Tuesday that a Turkish teacher convicted in 2017 of terrorism offenses had his rights violated because the case against him relied mostly on his use of an encrypted messaging application.

Istanbul police have caught a key suspect who played a role along with her husband, a key figure of the FETÖ terrorist organization, in the assassination of the Russian ambassador to Ankara in 2016.

Justice Minister Yılmaz Tunç and Vice President Cevdet Yılmaz have expressed strong condemnation over the approval of a report by the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) that criticizes Türkiye's requests for the extradition of FETÖ members from abroad.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (right) and Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson attend a press conference after their meeting in Ankara, 8 November 2022. Photo: EPA-EFE/NECATI SAVAS

In the operation in which 14 FETÖ members were arrested, mathematicians from Middle East Technical University (ODTÜ) have revealed that members of the organization entered military schools with a special code determined for each member.

Teams from Istanbul police's anti-terror branch carried out an operation against FETÖ members on March 21.

Within the scope of the FETÖ investigation carried out in 32 provinces, a detention decision has been issued for 35 suspects who were found to have illegally leaked the questions of some exams between 2011-2013.

Former footballer Zafer Biryol, who was wanted for "being a member of an armed terrorist organization," has been caught in an operation against FETÖ's "football structure" in Istanbul's Büyükçekmece district.

He was found to attend the FETÖ's meetings, visit Fethullah Gülen, the ringleader of the organization, in 2006 and have an account in Bank Asya, a FETÖ-linked bank.