Coup plotter inside Turkish Gendarmerie: Murat Kocyigit

By Cemil Murat Budak

ANKARA (AA) - One of the key plotters of a 2016 coup attempt in Turkey affiliated with the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO) received due punishment, with 141 aggravated life sentences.

Former army colonel Murat Kocyigit had been found guilty last June of determining which members of the Turkish Gendarmerie force would take part in the July 15, 2016 coup attempt, which was orchestrated by FETO.

Kocyigit had received 141 life sentences -- one for attempting to overturn the constitutional order, one for assassination of the President and 139 counts of willful murder.

He was the commander of the gendarmerie intelligence school and attended meetings with Adil Oksuz -- a theology professor, alleged to be the "imam" of FETO members in the air force and a key link between U.S.-based FETO leader Fetullah Gulen and coup plotters in Turkey.

Soldiers in the gendarmerie general command were assigned to take part in the coup attempt based on information provided by Kocyigit who was assigned to the coup attempt headquarters at Akinci Base.

Kocyigit had entered the base on July 15, saying he was Ahmet Ozcetin's guest and he had come for a "social activity". Former staff colonel Ozcetin, was tried for directing planes and pilots from the Akinci Base during the coup attempt.

He also had the terror group’s encrypted smartphone messaging app, ByLock, on his phone, while he denied making two phone calls from his personal phone with the U.S. on the night of the coup.

FETO and its U.S.-based leader Fetullah Gulen orchestrated the defeated coup of July 15, 2016, which left 251 people martyred and some 2,200 injured.

Turkey accuses FETO of being behind a long-running campaign to overthrow the state through the infiltration of Turkish institutions, particularly the military, police and judiciary.

*Writing by Havva Kara Aydin