21.05.2025 17:34
Etem Taş, the imam responsible for the Marmara Region of FETÖ in 14 provinces, was captured in an operation conducted in Istanbul. It has been revealed that Taş, who had multiple meetings with the deceased organization leader Fetullah Gülen in Pennsylvania and was found to have connections with FETÖ's so-called "Council of Elders (Mollas Group)," had previously been arrested and released by the prosecutor's office.
The imam of the Marmara Region responsible for 14 provinces of the Fethullahist Terrorist Organization/Parallel State Structure (FETÖ/PDY), Etem Taş, was captured in an operation held in Istanbul.
RELEASED IN 2018
It was revealed that Taş, who was captured in an operation conducted in 2018 at a safe house referred to as "Gaybubet" by the organization, was released by the court at that time to be tried without detention. It was determined that Taş stayed in the organization's houses and used a smartphone without a SIM card. He was captured in Erdem Park located in the Acıbadem neighborhood of Üsküdar as a result of a joint operation by the Organized Crime and Intelligence departments of the Istanbul Police.
MET WITH GÜLEN IN PENNSYLVANIA MULTIPLE TIMES
In the investigation coordinated by the Counter-Terrorism Branch and the Intelligence Branch, it was understood that Etem Taş was wanted as a fugitive. Taş, who met with the leader of the organization, Fethullah Gülen, multiple times in Pennsylvania before the coup attempt on July 15, 2016, and whose connection with the so-called "Council of Elders (Mollalar Grubu)" of FETÖ/PDY was identified, was tracked down in the Çekmeköy district of Istanbul.
TAKEN INTO CUSTODY
A raid was conducted on the identified address on May 16, where Ethem Taş, who used the ByLock application, had an increase in his account at Bank Asya, and had a confirmed prison sentence of 11 years and 3 months for "membership in an armed terrorist organization" from the Istanbul Heavy Penal Court, was captured and taken into custody.
HIS ROLE IN THE ORGANIZATION AND SECRET CORRESPONDENCES REVEALED
It was determined that Etem Taş worked at a business named Manolya Eğitim Hizmetleri Ticaret A.Ş., which was closed under a decree. His role in the organization and secret correspondences were also revealed. ByLock correspondences were detected with high-ranking FETÖ/PDY country imams, including Mehmet Yaşa, who arranged appointments with FETÖ leader Gülen and received current instructions before the coup attempt on July 15, 2016, and Mustafa Yeşil, İsmail Cingöz. Taş traveled to the USA with critical figures of FETÖ, including Sadık Kesmeci and Sait Aksoy. He was the Marmara Region imam between 2015-2018. He took over his last duty from Sadık Kesmeci, who is currently known as FETÖ's "Washington brother."
ONE OF THE MOST CRITICAL NAMES CAUGHT IN FETÖ INVESTIGATIONS
It was determined that Taş, who stayed in the safe houses that the organization referred to as "Gaybubet," met and communicated with his wife and child in parks while he was a fugitive. According to security and judicial sources, Ethem Taş is expressed to be one of the most critical names caught in FETÖ investigations.
THE NAMES HE MET WERE LISTED ONE BY ONE
Taş, who was captured in Çekmeköy on Friday, May 16, by the Intelligence Branch and TEM Teams of the Istanbul Police Department, had contact with high-ranking FETÖ executives he traveled abroad with or communicated via ByLock:
- İsmail Cingöz: Known as the West Europe Brother of the Mollalar Committee, former France Brother - General Manager of the Kimse Yok Mu Association, which was closed by decree.
- Mustafa Yeşil: (Mollalar Group and Committee Member) Former President of the Journalists and Writers Foundation, which was closed by decree, where terrorist leader Gülen is the honorary president. Currently active in FETÖ's Control Center operating on behalf of the organization in Brussels.
- Sait Aksoy: (Mollalar Committee) Coordinates all student placements of FETÖ, provides students for military and police schools.
- Turan Öztoprak: Libya imam. In the ByLock correspondences of the organization, it is reported that Taş informs that the Countries High Advisory and Appointment Committee has appointed Turan Öztoprak to Libya.
- Mehmet Akif Saka: Tanzania imam, in the ByLock conversation content, Taş informs that the Countries High Advisory and Appointment Committee has appointed Saka to Tanzania.
- Süleyman Tiftik: West Europe imam.
- Ömer Ekinci: New Regional Representative of Gaziantep-Diyarbakır.
- Nurullah Albayrak: Lawyer of the organization leader Fetullah Gülen and the person who took Gülen to the USA in 1998.
- Mesut Yıldırım: Turkey Student Imam - Turkey Guide.
- Ufuk Civelek: Bursa Imam.
- Şükrü Yıldırır: Metropolitan Imam of the Anatolian Side.
- Mehmet Mezher Gülen: Responsible for Turkey Schools and Private Tutoring Centers.
- Yılmaz Yiğit: Married to Gülen's niece - Brother-in-law of Ahmet Kurucan, who is part of FETÖ's brain team.
- Ali Ursavaş: Imam of China, one of the Far East countries.
- Mehmet Öksüz: Üsküdar Provincial Imam of FETÖ/PDY. Brother of Adil Öksüz, the imam of the TSK Air Force who directed the coup attempt at Akıncılar Air Base.
- Ali Çelik: Judicial imam across Turkey.
- Muammer Burtaçgiray: Turkey Workers' Union Imam.
- Ali Tokul: (Turkey Art Imam).
- Mehmet Fatih Özdemir: Turkey Engineers' Union Imam.
- Mehmet Kılıç: Turkey Civil Servants' Union Imam.
- Ahmet Hamdi Parlak: Turkey Political Parties Imam.
- Mehmet Boz: Aegean Regional Representative.
- Ali Sinan Veisoğlu: (Marmara Student Imam before 2016 - Guide Brother).
- Erkam Tufan Aytav: Involved in FETÖ's media structure.
- Hasan Kahveci: Manager of Kaynak Holding.