FETO’s power shift after Gulen’s death: Sons-in-law’s roles in terrorist network

Following the death of ringleader Fetullah Gulen, the marriages within the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO) aimed at strengthening internal relationships have gained attention.

According to security sources, Gulen sought to secure his influence while alive by marrying his nephews to key leaders within the organization. This strategy was intended to maintain the functioning of the organization’s complex network, further solidified by his sons-in-law.

Key figures among the organization’s sons-in-law include Cevdet Turkyolu, Adem Kalac, Ahmet Kurucan and Muhammed Yesilyurt. Ekrem Dumanli, another son-in-law, also holds significant power as a member of the Executive Board.

Dumanli is known to be the former son-in-law of Izzet Akyar, one of Gulen’s closest associates. Akyar supported Dumanli’s role in the Executive Board, enhancing Dumanli’s influence.

After separating from Izzet Akyar’s daughter, Dumanli married Esra Dumanli, who is 17 years younger. Esra Dumanli is also related to Cevdet Turkyolu, known as “Uzun Cevdet” (Long Cevdet), a key figure within the organization.

Cevdet Turkyolu, who married Mebruke Turkyolu, the daughter of Gulen’s brother Seyfullah Gulen, was appointed to FETO’s Executive Board in 2023. He has become one of Gulen’s closest confidants over the past 30 years.

Leveraging his son-in-law status, Turkyolu was the former coordinator of the website “Herkul.org.” He facilitated the transfer of Gulen’s former personal secretary, Osman Simshek, from Pennsylvania, enabling Turkyolu’s son-in-law Muhammed Yesilyurt to assume control of the website and Gulen’s personal office.

Sons-in-law in key positions

Adem Kalac, a son-in-law trained by Fetullah Gulen, is married to Hansa Zeynep Kalac, the daughter of Seyfullah Gulen. He played a crucial role in establishing the organization’s covert activities in the 1980s and served as the editor-in-chief of EbruTV, which broadcasts from the United States.

Kalac was appointed to the Executive Board formed in 2023 and holds considerable influence within the organization because of his kinship with Cevdet Turkyolu.

Ahmet Kurucan, who married the daughter of Gulen’s brother Mesih Gulen, is also the brother-in-law of Ebuseleme Gulen, a critic of the figures on the Executive Board. Kurucan previously served as Gulen’s secretary before Osman Simshek took over. A graduate of Ankara University’s Faculty of Theology, Kurucan attempted to start a business in the United States but was unsuccessful.

Kurucan is regarded as one of the organization’s so-called jurisprudential authorities.

Strategic marriages

Muhammed Yesilyurt, married to Cevdet Turkyolu’s daughter Busra, is another of the so-called mollahs trained by Fetullah Gulen. After Osman Simsek, Yesilyurt became the coordinator of the “Herkul.org” website and managed Gulen’s personal care at his last residence.

Ali Celik, the father of Omer Celik, who is married to another daughter of Cevdet Turkyolu, is one of the partners of Bank Asya and serves as a financial resource for the organization. The financial strength of Ali Celik and Cevdet Turkyolu’s influence within the organization makes these marriages significant.

Background of Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO)

Gulenist Terror Group (FETO) has clandestinely conducted its activities in Türkiye since the 1960s, culminating in the coup attempt of July 15, 2016, which resulted in the death of 252 people and left 2,735 others injured. The attempt was foiled by a rare instance of public resistance to putschists.

Since 2016, FETO has been recognized as a terrorist organization by the likes of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and Pakistan. The group’s ringleader, Fetullah Gulen, resided in the United States before his death in October.