In response to a diplomatic note from Turkey that asked Germany to confirm whether media reports claiming that the prime suspect in an attempted coup last July, Adil Öksüz, is in Germany are accurate and to return him to Turkey in the event he is found there, Berlin said on Wednesday there is no information that confirms that Öksüz is in Germany.
According to a Deutsche Welle report, German diplomatic sources said they have no information that confirms Öksüz is currently in Germany.
While the German Foreign Ministry is usually informed about asylum applications, especially from politically significant individuals, German officials said they have not received any information about Öksüz.
Due to commitments to international agreements, Germany is not making official statements or providing information about people who have applied for asylum in Germany, the report said.
The pro-government Yeni Şafak daily claimed last Wednesday that Öksüz, the prime civilian suspect in the failed coup attempt in Turkey on July 15, 2016, has received temporary residence in Germany.
The diplomatic note sent to Germany said Öksüz was seen in various German cities as reported in the Turkish media and asked Germany whether they had any information about it.
German diplomatic sources said the reports about Öksüz were contradictory since they claimed the same person was in different cities. The sources said similar claims were made previously about fugitive prosecutors Zekeriya Öz and Celal Kara.
According to the pro-government daily’s report, Öksüz, who was detained on the night of the coup and later released by a court, was taken to Germany by two people. He was seen in Frankfurt and Ulm and requested temporary residence in the state of Baden-Württemberg. The daily claims that German police approved Öksüz’s application but did not officially register his name.
The report came three days after main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) Chairman Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu said Öksüz was working for the National Intelligence Organization (MİT), asking the government to clarify questions concerning the coup attempt.
Turkish government claims that before the July 2016 coup attempt, Öksüz traveled to the US, where he visited Fethullah Gülen, who has inspired the Gülen movement.
Photographs of Öksüz and his child with Gülen at the Golden Generation Retreat and Recreation Center Pennsylvania where the Turkish scholar has been living since 1999 have appeared in the Turkish press as proof of Gülen’s personal involvement in the coup bid.
“When you consider Adil Öksüz, they found him somewhere, I don’t remember where it was, and then they released him, and then there turned out be a tie between him and Turkish intelligence,” Gülen said in an interview with France24 last month.
Turkish government accuses faith-based Gülen movement of mounting the botched coup attempt while Gülen denies any involvement.