Ankara’s political agenda this week has been shaken by an incident that revealed a potential conspiracy within the Turkish security apparatus against the government, bringing to mind the coup attempt of the Gülenist Terror Group (FETÖ) in 2016, which used similar tactics of infiltrating state institutions.
The alleged plot was uncovered when a so-called secret eyewitness, Serdar Sertçelik, was exposed. Sertçelik was a member of a criminal gang led by Ayhan Bora Kaplan, who was arrested last year. Serçelik was convinced to work with the police to uncover the activities of the gang, however, the eyewitness claimed that the police officials taking his testimony tried to change his statement and include names of politicians, even ministers to implicate in the case. Sertçelik said that the police officials wrote a 19-page testimony on their own without his own statements. Four public officials working in the organized crime unit of the capital’s police were detained.
The attempt to defame high-ranking government officials by police officials misusing their authority raised several questions and became a hot topic this week in the capital. The main question is with whom are the police working? Are they linked to mafia groups or sects? Is it an attempt to drive a wedge between the Justice and Development Party (AK Party) and its ally the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP)? Or could it be an operation of criminal gangs against the Turkish police organization? Furthermore, is it an operation against Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya, who changed the balance in the ministry since coming to office and launched a fight against criminal gangs, making several arrests? It should be reiterated that Kaplan was arrested after Yerlikaya took office as interior minister.
Speaking at his party’s parliamentary group meeting, MHP Chairperson Devlet Bahçeli described the incident as "a plot that cannot be slurred over with the laying off of a few police commissioners." He continued to say that "the target is the MHP, the AK Party, the People’s Alliance and in the last instance, Türkiye" while likening the plot to the Dec. 17-25 incidents.
On Dec. 17, 2013, prosecutors and police chiefs linked to FETÖ made their first move to topple the government in a far-reaching probe targeting ministers and people close to the government under corruption allegations. The probe, which led to arrest warrants, was followed by another operation on Dec. 25 remembered as the first open attack by FETÖ against the government, a chilling action for a country that has suffered from multiple coups.
Following Bahçeli’s words on Tuesday, an unannounced high-level meeting between President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, National Intelligence Organization (MIT) head Ibrahim Kalın and Justice Minister Yılmaz Tunç took place in Ankara during the evening hours. It is presumed that the president might have been briefed about the incident that evening. However, Yerlikaya was not present.
Instead, Yerlikaya, the next morning, published a long statement on X. "Whoever is collaborating with terrorist organizations, their extensions, organized crime organizations and tries to ‘play a game’ on our president, our government and our politicians with FETÖ-like tactics, supported by social media; We will destroy their games and the traps they set," Yerlikaya wrote, vowing to continue his fight against criminal gangs and cartels.
On Wednesday, a day after the surprise trilateral meeting of the president, all eyes were on Erdoğan who made a speech at Parliament. Yet, in contrast to Bahçeli’s harsh statements and comparison to a coup attempt, Erdoğan did not use the same likenings. The president also named no specific figures or institutions.
"We know and see that some are aiming to drive a wedge within the People’s Alliance. We have encountered such attempts before. The People’s Alliance will continue its path further strengthening, closing the ranks and increasing its solidarity," the president said vaguely.
The plot is not seen as important or as dangerous as FETÖ’s attempts. FETÖ was using the judiciary, army and politics all together, and still did not even manage to realize a coup. It is alleged that a group of police officials organized against some government officials and that this incident is smaller. Yet the fact that a high-ranking official as the deputy head of the police organization is involved raised alarm bells in the capital. Now, all eyes are on the investigation that will come out of digital data and phone records seized from the houses of arrested police officials to prevent similar incidents and these criminal groups within official institutions from organizing further. The report of the civil inspectors is expected to be completed soon and should be revealed to the public in full detail.