After coup bid, Germany becomes safe haven for FETO

BERLIN

Germany is becoming a safe haven for sympathizers and members of the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO), two years after the group’s foiled coup attempt in Turkey.

Around 14,000 people with suspected ties to FETO have arrived in Germany over the last two years, the country’s international broadcaster DW reported this week.

“Germany is becoming our new hub,” a senior figure of the group said.

The U.S.-based Fetullah Gulen’s shadowy group orchestrated a coup in July 2016 after a long, secretive campaign to infiltrate state institutions in Turkey. The attempted military takeover left 251 people martyred and nearly 2,200 injured.

Despite Turkey’s repeated warnings, Berlin has not yet outlawed the group, arguing that they do not constitute a serious threat to Germany.

As German authorities tolerated their activities, Gulenists have set up new propaganda outlets and associations in recent months to support FETO suspects who fled Turkey, local media reported.

At least 1,177 Turkish citizens with diplomatic or service passports, including former soldiers, officials, and their family members, applied for asylum in Germany, the country’s immigration authority BAMF has confirmed.

A Berlin-based branch of the group, Aktion für Fluchtlingshilfe, has provided support for these asylum-seekers, according to the reports.

Most of them were former officials and soldiers wanted by Turkey due to ongoing investigations of their suspected links to the coup attempt or FETO itself.

Tolerance, tension

Ankara has long urged Berlin not to grant political asylum to former officials, and to instead return them to Turkey for a fair and transparent trial at home.

Germany’s tolerance towards the group, and its reluctance to extradite FETO suspects to Turkey, has been a source of tension between the two countries.

While in recent weeks German authorities made critical statements about the group and signaled a tougher stance, they have not yet taken any concrete measures.

Several key figures of the group, who are among Turkey’s most-wanted terrorists, have been living in Germany, according to media reports.

These include ideological forerunners of the group Abdullah Aymaz and Mehmet Ali Sengul.

Adil Oksuz, a top suspect in the 2016 coup attempt, also spent some time in Germany after fleeing Turkey, according to several witnesses.

The 51-year-old theology lecturer received support from the FETO network in the country.

False image

Since the 1990s, Gulen’s shadowy group has also managed to build a large network in Germany, which is home to more than 3 million Turkish immigrants.

The group owns dozens of private schools, businesses, and several media organizations, and claims to have around 70,000 followers on German soil.

FETO members have tried to avoid public criticism in Germany by focusing on "interfaith dialogue" programs and sticking to “moderate” messages.

The group’s foundation, Stiftung Dialog und Bildung, has sought to win the trust of media, influential churches, and political institutions.

Ex-FETO members, speaking to German media in recent weeks, stressed that the group has a dual structure, and despite its “democratic” and “moderate” image in public, it has a secretive and strict hierarchy controlled by its ideological leaders.