İncirlik 10th Tanker Base Commander Brigadier Bekir Ercan Van
Colonel Nejat Şimşek, who is a witness in the Akıncı Air Base coup bid case, divulged shocking details regarding the former İncirlik 10th Tanker Base Commander Brigadier Bekir Ercan Van. Şimşek stated that he was serving temporarily at the Adana İncirlik Base during the event, and that Van was found hiding in the room of an American commander when a warrant was issued for him.
Akıncı -- which was renamed Murted after the attempted coup -- located outside Turkey's capital Ankara, was used as a base by some Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETÖ) soldiers, and some of the jets which took off from the base that night bombed several places in the capital, including the parliament building. Loyal Turkish military officers were also held hostage at the base.
News of the coup attempt
Şimşek said that Brigadier İrfan Özsert called him during the evening and told him that soldiers had blocked the Bosphorus Bridge in Istanbul. Şimşek stated that he then received information that planes had started to strike settlement areas in Ankara, and that he and Özsert then decided to head to their headquarters.
At least 12 soldiers, including 11 on duty, were arrested on Thursday across Turkey over their alleged links to Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETÖ), according to police sources.In the Samsun-based operation, the counter-terrorism police conducted raids in capital Ankara, Samsun, Istanbul, Van, Izmir, Bitlis, Erzurum, Kayseri, Diyarbakır, Hakkari, Bursa, Adıyaman and Tunceli provinces, said the sources, who asked not to be named due to restrictions on speaking to the media.Video: FETÖ-linked 12 suspects arrested across TurkeyThe operation continued to nab one more suspect, they added.FETÖ and its U.S.-based leader Fetullah Gulen orchestrated the defeated coup on July 15, 2016, which left 251 people martyred and nearly 2,200 injured.Ankara also accuses FETÖ of being behind a long-running campaign to overthrow the state through the infiltration of Turkish institutions, particularly the military, police, and judiciary.Broken cameras cast doubt over incident at FETÖ mansionTurkish court upholds life terms of six FETÖ suspectsTurkey repeats FETÖ extradition request to Cambodia
12 FETÖ-linked suspects arrested across Turkey
Found in U.S. general’s room
Şimşek said that he told U.S. and British commanders they encountered at the base that everything was temporary and would come under control soon. In the morning hours, it was ordered that Brigadier Bekir Ercan Van be handed over to officials as a warrant had been issued for him.
“The base’s commander [Bekir Ercan Van] was not in his room. İrfan Özsert called Van and told him to come to the base as a warrant had been issued. Meanwhile, Central Command and security forces had come to the base. A while later, we found out that Van was in the room of the American commander. We went there too, and told him to surrender. Then İrfan Özsert entered the room and left with Van, who was handed over to security officials,” Şimşek said.
Surveillance cameras at the entrance of Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETÖ) leader Fetullah Gulen’s gated compound in Pennsylvania were out of service during an "armed incident" Wednesday, said a security guard, casting doubt over its validity.Earlier in the day, police investigated an incident involving an "armed man" outside the compound, which is located in Saylorsburg.After the reported incident, Anadolu Agency spoke to a guard, Austin Davos, who said he has been working at the compound for three years.Davos declined to comment on the suspect’s physical appearance but said two cameras monitoring the suspect’s alleged location were not working when an Anadolu Agency correspondent pointed out that the cameras must have filmed him.Davos said one camera has been out of service for a long time and the other broke down on Tuesday.Other guards at the compound referred the correspondent to the police when they were also asked to describe the suspect’s appearance.The failure of the cameras at the compound, which is under maximum security, cast doubt over how the "armed incident" took place.Although the security guards claimed the suspect was armed, a police public information release report did not include any statement that the suspect had a gun.It said an "unknown Caucasian wearing all dark clothing" was involved in the incident.The police responded to a report of a weapon being discharged at the compound, the release said, adding: "The security personnel discharged a weapon near the location of an unwanted person outside the security gate. The unidentified person fled the scene."Following the incident, a FETÖ-linked NGO called Alliance for Shared Values claimed the suspect "attempted to enter" the compound, whereas the security guards said the suspect was standing outside the security gate, according to the police release.In addition, Emrullah Polat, a senior FETÖ member at the compound, was filmed while hastily leaving the premises.FETÖ and its U.S.-based leader, Fetullah Gulen, allegedly orchestrated a defeated coup which martyred 251 people and injured nearly 2,200 others in July 2016.Gulen has lived in self-imposed exile in Pennsylvania since 1999.Turkish court upholds life terms of six FETÖ suspectsTurkey repeats FETÖ extradition request to CambodiaFETÖ pretends to collect aid money in EthiopiaTurkey arrests three of 37 FETÖ-linked suspectsMHP head urges Germany to see FETÖ as terrorist
Broken cameras cast doubt over incident at FETÖ mansion