Turkish intelligence intercepts FETO fugitives fleeing on US-flagged sailboat

8 members of the Gulenist Terror Group (FETO) were apprehended by the Turkish National Intelligence Organization (MIT) on Sunday, one day ahead of the anniversary of the 2016 coup attempt, off the coast of the Aegean.

Joint operation leads to arrests

Security sources revealed that MIT, in collaboration with the Aegean Regional Command of the Turkish Coast Guard and Gendarmerie Commands in Izmir, conducted the operation. The FETO members, who had been under surveillance, boarded a U.S.-flagged sailboat named ASTERI from a gulf near Alacati, a popular vacation resort town. Security forces intercepted the sailboat, resulting in the apprehension of ten suspects, including eight FETO members. The suspects were handed over to gendarmerie units for legal proceedings.

FETO’s escape routes

FETO members typically follow the same routes as irregular migrants to flee abroad, either heading toward the northwestern border with Greece or via the Aegean Sea. In Edirne, a Turkish province that serves as a primary land crossing point to Europe, more than 4,000 FETO members have been intercepted since the group’s failed coup attempt on July 15, 2016.

Profiles of the captured members

The captured FETO members included former police officers and soldiers:

• O.B.: Expelled from the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) in 2020 on suspicion of FETO membership, facing ongoing legal proceedings.
• M.K.: Expelled from the army in 2020 after being convicted of membership in a terrorist group; released pending trial.
• A.K.: Discharged from the army in 2017, formerly an officer in an artillery command, facing a FETO-related case.
• A.C.: Former officer at a key military recruitment department, released pending trial in 2021, with ongoing legal proceedings.
• H.S.: Former first lieutenant in a commando regiment, expelled in 2018 and convicted of FETO membership.
• A.K.: Former police chief in Cizre, dismissed in 2016 for FETO links.
• K.G.: Doctor at an Istanbul hospital, expelled from the public sector in 2022 for ties to the terrorist group.
• M.G.: Convicted of FETO membership, released pending trial in 2019.