Binali YILDIRIM and Efkan ALA Would be Killed, and Soldiers would be Accused of Killing Them

Staff Colonel Bilal AKYÜZ, who was charged with the planning and organization of a nationwide coup within the scope of his membership in the Peace at Home Council, made striking statements at the hearing at the Ankara 17th High Criminal Court. Staff Colonel Bilal AKYÜZ explained what he went through during the investigation process, after stating that he had examined all the prosecution documents related to July 15, the opinions on the merits, the reports, the indictments of other headquarters, especially the parliamentary investigation report.

a. Investigation Process

Staff Colonel Bilal AKYÜZ stated that his car was searched by the Kazan Chief Public Prosecutor on July 25, 2016, and that he was recorded as “Manager 3” in the report. He also emphasized that the statements he gave in his own handwriting to the Ankara West Courthouse Instruction Bureau were sent back twice. On December 30, 2016, he stated that he was forced to write the notes shown to him in handwriting. “I was told to write the evidence they would put in my indictment. I threw out my pen.”

Then, addressing the president of the court, he said that “with a pencil it was written that the provincial president, district president, even the Prime Minister will be killed. They wrote with pencil.” Stating that he had never seen those evidence, Staff Colonel Bilal AKYÜZ stated that there was no report although it was written on the back page of his indictment. He could not see the report although his lawyer applied many times.

Addressing the President of the Court, Oğuz DİK, he said, “You have an order on April 03, 2017, and this instruction also states that there are no investigation documents. There is one additional list on December 29, 2016; it says all suspects, we are about to move on to 2017.”

b. Marmaris/Mugla incident (Assassination attempt on the President)

Emphasizing that the most important knot of July 15 was what happened in Marmaris/Mugla, Staff Colonel Bilal AKYUZ stated by referring to the CHP’s comment in the parliamentary commission report that President Erdogan’s ATA (TK8456) plane arrived at Ataturk Airport at 03:20; however, the application named Flight Radar showed that TK8456 was visible over the Marmara Sea at 00:30. Then, he continued his statement after showing the court members the route of ATA plane from the Flight Radar app which circled over Mudanya for 2 hours, 

“Look, this is the image of TK8456 from the Flight Radar app and this is the return tour in Mudanya, so why did it wait? Did it wait for the Turkish Armed Forces (TAF) team in Cigli to reach Marmaris? The TAF team which left Cigli at 02:14 arrived in Marmaris at around 03:20. Did the plane wait for them to reach Marmaris? And TC ATA’s landing was made to coincide with the team’s arrival to Marmaris. I think this is the proof of Erdogan’s scenario, as he said he would be killed if he was 15 minutes late to leave Marmaris.”

Bilal AKYUZ stated that when the allegations expressed in CHP’s commentary in the parliamentary investigation, the Flight Radar image, the President’s statements, and other statements are brought together, it is very clear that the President was not in Marmaris in the already stated hours. “So, why are they doing that? What are they trying to conceal? Because this is a prepared script, and they were trying to make the event to fit to the script.”

c. Assassination attempt on Binali YILDIRIM and the Efkan ALA incident

Stating that although there were investigations regarding many events that took place on July 25, the assassination attempt on the Prime Minister Binali YILDIRIM in Ilgaz Tunnel was not investigated, Staff Colonel Bilal AKYUZ said that at 04:17 Prime Minister Binali YILDIRIM changed his route on his way back to Ankara and decided to turn via Cankiri since his guard team thought that this was safer instead of the TEM highway. On their way back to Ankara, at the exit of Ilgaz they were targeted by a Gendarmerie vehicle and Prime Minister’s convoy turned back to Ilgaz. 

Bilal AKYUZ stated that Prime Minister Binali YILDIRIM confirmed in the joint broadcast of ATV and A Haber on July 23, 2016 that he was targeted from the Gendarmerie vehicle. Regarding this attack on the Prime Minister, it was then stated in the letter of Kastamonu Provincial Gendarmerie Command that there was no Gendarmerie Regiment Command unit in the region at the time of the attack. Based on this letter and other information in the investigation report, Staff Colonel Bilal AKYUZ declared at the court that the vehicles in the Ilgaz Tunnel in Kastamonu belonged to MIT.

After sharing information about the assassination attempt against Prime Minister Binali YILDIRIM, AKYUZ made statements about the note that he was forced to write. AKYUZ stated that the note which was said to have been found in his car was not in his car; due to his claim that the Prime Minister was targeted by MIT, he was tried to be blamed also on this issue. He also said that he wants to be acquitted from this blame in front of the law: “if they have the courage, let them open the case, I am here.”

AKYUZ continued that the same issue that Prime Minister Binali YILDIRIM experienced with MIT Undersecretary Hakan Fidan was also experienced with the Minister of Internal Affairs Efkan ALA and the Chief of Police Celalettin LEKESIZ.

“In my opinion, Efkan ALA had no idea regarding the events. Between 23:00 and 23:30 he couldn’t give orders properly. He couldn’t coordinate because this was just normal during this kind of crisis. But LEKESIZ gave 8 orders in a row in 15 minutes.”

AKYUZ also stated that ALA departed from Erzurum to Ankara at 21:20 by plane and although his phone was on, the Chief of Police Celalettin LEKESIZ didn’t receive his approval while issuing 8 orders. This was because both ALA and YILDIRIM would be eliminated according to the plan.

Staff Colonel Bilal AKYUZ said that the Minister of Internal Affairs of the time, Efkan ALA was also planned to be eliminated, like Prime Minister Binali YILDIRIM; however, somehow the plans were not successful. It is also important to note that the Chief of Police of the time, Celalettin LEKESIZ was dismissed and kept out of sight after he disclosed his preparations before July 15 while describing what he did to gain some “points.”

AKYUZ concluded his defense by stating that July 15 was a plot organized by MIT. “But there were two things that spoiled this plan. The first one is the start of the plan at 21:00. And the second thing is even though the TAF personnel were trapped, they didn’t fire on their own people. No matter what anyone says, if they did it, the results would have been very different.”