On July 15, Korg. Yavuz Türkgenci Set Other Traps Too!

Brigadier General Özkan Aydoğdu, the Commander of the 2nd Armored Brigade stationed in Istanbul Maltepe, accused of planning and organizing the coup nationwide within the framework of the Peace at Home Council membership, made striking allegations about the events on July 15 in his defense at the Ankara 17th Heavy Penal Court. 

In his statement, Brigadier General Aydoğdu mentioned that Major General Yavuz Türkgenci and Chief of Staff Colonel Erkan Olgay initially called all personnel, including subordinate units, to duty and later sent a text message at 17:03 on July 15, 2016, stating that only their headquarters personnel should not come to work. He also stated, "On the same day, our Army Commander Mr. Ümit Dündar called me on the phone for a soldier; however, he didn't call me that night! Why doesn't he call me that day?... But our commanders, General Ümit Dündar and Major General Yavuz Türkgenci did not call us, but they called personnel they considered reliable!"

 Referring to the testimony of Colonel İsmail Cem Gültekin, the director of the Fenerbahçe Army House, whom General Ümit Dündar defined as trustworthy, Aydoğdu stated that on the morning of July 16, 2016, around 5-6 am, Colonel İsmail Cem Gültekin was called by the Army Command and given an order over the phone: "CALL THE ÜSKÜDAR POLICE CHIEF, DIRECT THE CROWDS TO SELİMİYE BARRACKS." Aydoğdu emphasized that Group Commander Colonel Fatih Akpınar also confirmed this information mentioned by İsmail Cem Gültekin. Aydoğdu asked the court, "What do you think these statements on the phone mean when the incidents have subsided, unit commanders understand the truth, surrender without resistance, and peace is being restored?" 

In his testimony, Aydoğdu stated that the senior personnel in charge of the soldiers on the bridge was Lieutenant Colonel Turgay Ödemiş. When these soldiers surrendered in the morning, Tümen Commander Yavuz Türkgenci came to them and asked, "Did you bring down the sharpshooter in the tower on the bridge? Have you secured the tower above?" Aydoğdu emphasized that their units did not have a sharpshooter rifle and that it was impossible to use a nonexistent one. 

The footage of Major General Yavuz Türkgenci on the Bosphorus Bridge was widely discussed later.