Gülenists 'ate' evidence to dodge police, witness claims
Members of the Gülenist Terror Group (FETÖ) digested papers that wrote the instructions from the cult's leader to destroy evidence in case of a police raid, a former member claims.The cult behind the July 15 coup attempt, where officers linked to FETÖ killed dozens to seize power, is known for its utmost attention to secrecy. The cult ironically came undone as more Gülenists come forward to reveal the bizarre secrets of the group, including this non-nutritional habit of eating paper. The unidentified man, who testified in an investigation on FETÖ in the southeastern city of Gaziantep, said senior figures of the terrorist group scribbled Gülen's orders in secret meetings and occasionally held "drills" where they devoured the papers upon which they jotted down the orders in preparation for a likely police raid. They even turned to "edible" papers at some point, said the man, who attended meetings where Gülenists were handed out instructions by point men of U.S. resident Fetullah Gülen, the cult's leader.The testimony of the witness says no member of the cult can act independently without the approval of Fetullah Gülen. "We used to hold monthly meetings and people responsible for each region of Turkey would present their agenda. They would then discuss Gülen's instructions. We always wrote it down on small papers so that they can be destroyed easily. We would memorize the instructions and in random drills against a police raid, we were told to eat the papers," he said.Another witness told prosecutors that as a member, he was supposed to obey the orders of his "superiors" in the cult and he carried out the orders of a senior figure of the cult in Gaziantep. "He once asked to use my house for a meeting (of Gülenists). He told me to meet him in the backyard of my house to avoid detection. I gave him the keys to the house and he gave me eight cellphones; cellphones of people attending the meeting. He told me the attendants were military officers and asked me to take a tour around the city with the cellphones [to evade any police surveillance]. I did so. When I returned, he told me not to tell anyone about the meeting," he said.Paper eating is the latest revelation regarding the cult known for its sickening acts of devotion and an obsession with secrecy, which is key for the cult members' infiltration of the arteries of the state, from law enforcement to bureaucracy.In another investigation, a military officer confessing to his loyalty to the cult said in his testimony he was given an underwear worn by Fetullah Gülen as a wedding gift while another former Gülenist claimed some fanatics in the cult hurried to get a piece of a paper tissue Gülen wiped his mouth with after a dinner.Military officers detained after the coup attempt told prosecutors that they were instructed by their "brothers" (superiors in the cult) to keep their links to FETÖ secret by pretending to be someone else. They were told not to pray openly and occasionally drink alcohol to avoid suspicion of links to the cult, which employs a distorted version of Islam as a means to win over followers.