Prominent FETO member rumored dead seen in US capital

By Esra Kaymak Avci

WASHINGTON 

A Turkish fugitive and high-ranking member of the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO) who is rumored to be dead, was spotted here Wednesday. 

Emre Uslu participated and asked questions regarding Turkey during a program on the Middle East at a think tank. His identity was confirmed from Anadolu Agency photographs taken at the conference.

The former senior police intelligence officer and columnist for whom two separate arrest warrants have been issued, is accused of providing an ideological basis through visual and social media for the recent coup attempt in Turkey. Rumors recently surfaced on social media that he was found dead at his home in Virginia.

The Istanbul chief public prosecutor's office in October 2015 asked a court to issue an arrest warrant for Uslu on charges of "attempting to demolish the Republic of Turkey or preventing it from performing its duties" in connection with an investigation into the parallel state -- a long-running campaign by FETO to overthrow the Turkish government through the infiltration of state institutions, particularly the military, police, and judiciary.

FETO's ringleader is led by U.S.-based Fetullah Gulen, who was responsible for the deadly July 15 coup attempt that left at least 241 people martyred, according to the Turkish government.

Uslu is one of FETO's most prominent members, especially in the area of media.

During a conference in Washington DC in April at which Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan was going to deliver remarks, Uslu joined a group of supporters consisting of the terrorist PKK organizaiton and its Syrian wing, the PYD, in front of a venue where Erdogan was speaking.

Another fugitive, Ekrem Dumanli, for whom a Turkish court has also issued an arrest warrant for alleged crimes linked to FETO, was spotted last month in a mall in New Jersey.