Former Turkey youth international Yusuf Atay has been indicted on charges of membership in a terrorist organization due to his alleged links to the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) based on his social media messages, the Halk TV news website reported.
Atay, 40, was taken into custody on October 27 and was put in pretrial detention on October 30.
Prosecutors quickly drafted an indictment on November 4, charging him with “membership in an armed terrorist organization” and citing his social media activity and images found on his phone as evidence of ISIL membership.
According to the indictment, prosecutors relied on posts Atay shared on X as well as photos and videos of firearms that were retrieved from his mobile phone after he voluntarily provided his passcode to police.
The indictment also includes a post in which Atay commented on a news clip about al-Qaeda’s September 11 attacks in the United States in 2001, calling the footage a “work of art.”
In another post he wrote that people would eventually “submit” to what he described as God’s rule and the justice of Islamic law.
Atay told police during his questioning that he views al-Qaeda as a terrorist organization. He said he searched for the address of the Israeli Embassy in Ankara only to attend a Gaza-related protest, according to the indictment.
Atay played for several clubs in Turkey and represented the country at the U18 and U21 levels. He was known as a disciplined midfielder with strong passing skills during a career largely spent with Anatolian teams.
His lawyer claimed that the case contains no evidence of organizational ties and that the posts cited by prosecutors were expressions of humanitarian and religious concern.
The lawyer also said Atay’s close relatives have no record of links to extremist groups, a detail included in the indictment.
The trial is being heard by the İstanbul 22nd High Criminal Court. The first hearing took place on November 25, and the trial is expected to continue in the coming months. Atay remains in custody pending trial.