An investigation into the 2002 murder of Necip Hablemitoğlu, a prominent writer and academic, turns the spotlight onto the Gülenist Terrorist Group (FETÖ). Evidence points to Mustafa Özcan, seen as "No. 2" in the terrorist group, orchestrated the murder plot through its subordinates and coordinated it with a former member of the National Intelligence Organization (MIT) who was jailed last year for his ties to the group.
Hablemitoğlu, a historian at Ankara University, was also known for his book and research on several issues, including Germany-linked foundations active in Turkey. He was shot dead outside his home in the capital Ankara on Dec. 18, 2002. Hablemitoğlu was working on "Köstebek" ("Insider") before his assassination. The book, published posthumously, is viewed as the first comprehensive nonfiction book on the terrorist group’s secret structure and its attempts to infiltrate the state. Media outlets have long reported suspicions over FETÖ’s role in the murder but the first proper investigation into the allegations was launched in 2016, the year the terrorist group attempted to stage a deadly coup.
Chief Prosecutor Zafer Ergün, who is currently handling the case, ordered the arrest of five people, including a former noncommissioned officer from the Turkish Armed Forces’ (TSK) elite Special Forces Command, last week. However, the suspects have denied the charges.
The investigation gained momentum after Nuri Gökhan Bozkır, a key suspect in the case, was brought to Turkey from Ukraine by Turkish intelligence last month. Bozkır is set to testify to prosecutors on Tuesday.
Security sources say Mustafa Özcan is the prime suspect in the case along with Enver Altaylı, a former intelligence official convicted in a FETÖ-linked case last year. Evidence collected by the prosecutor’s office shows Özcan tried to meet Hablemitoğlu in 2002, before the latter’s death and Altaylı was instrumental in setting up a meeting, along with N.A., another suspect in the case identified only with his initials.
It is unclear why Özcan attempted to reach out to Hablemitoğlu. The victim’s family had told police after the murder that Hablemitoğlu had received threatening phone calls and emails before the murder. Altaylı is also named as a "middleman" in the case of FETÖ’s attempt to recruit people from the Special Forces Command for an attempt to assassinate Hablemitoğlu.
A.K., who arranged this attempt, and M.N., a former special forces officer, are among the names in the case and both face a travel ban after their detention last week, before they were released with judiciary control measures.
According to the investigators, I.B. and B.E., two suspects who were in contact with Nuri Gökhan Bozkır, were at the crime scene days before the incident and allegedly conducted reconnaissance. I.B. and B.E. were questioned by police when an eyewitness reported seeing them near the scene but no legal action was taken against the two men. A new investigation shows the suspects made phone calls to Nuri Gökhan Bozkır after police questioned them. Bozkır turned his cellphone off during the day of the murder and the following day and replaced his SIM card with another belonging to a special forces officer following the murder.