Turkey sent a diplomatic note to Germany on Wednesday asking for confirmation of whether media reports claiming that the prime suspect in Turkey’s last year coup, Adil Öksüz, is in Germany are accurate and to return him to Turkey in the event he is found there.
The pro-government Yeni Şafak daily claimed last Wednesday that Adil 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.
While German Foreign Ministry sources had previously said they had no information concerning the whereabouts of Öksüz, Turkey asked Germany to apprehend and return Öksüz, who is a key coup suspect, in case he is found in Germany.
According to Turkey’s pro-government daily reports, 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 Adil Öksüz was working for 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 cleric 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.