16.07.2026 18:10
A critical development has occurred in the reopened investigation into the death of Muhsin Yazıcıoğlu. New correspondence and documents that could shed light on the incident have been added to the case file. A ByLock message stating that "the job was handled as easily as pulling a hair out of butter" after the accident, and the statement of a person who left the organization claiming to have heard Fetullah Gülen's order to "Eliminate him" regarding Yazıcıoğlu, have opened a new door in the file.
Striking findings and claims regarding the possible connection of FETÖ to the helicopter crash that killed Great Unity Party (BBP) Founding Chairman Muhsin Yazıcıoğlu and five others on March 25, 2009, have been reached in investigations conducted by security units.
The prepared information note highlighted many issues, from warplanes in the incident area to FETÖ's Air Force structure, and from ByLock messages to the unusual communications of organization members before and after the incident.
DID A FIGHTER JET AFFECT THE HELICOPTER?
According to the work of security units, it was determined that three fighter jets were in the area where the helicopter crashed at the time of the incident. Two of these jets were identified as F-16s that took off from Amasya 5th Main Jet Base, and the other as an F-4 that took off from Malatya Erhaç Military/Civil Airport.
In radar records, it was assessed that the F-4 fighter jet disappeared from radar for a certain period; this could have occurred due to radar shutdown, sudden altitude change, or low-altitude flight. Therefore, the possibility that the fighter jets intentionally or unintentionally caused the helicopter to crash was considered.
In the State Supervisory Board report, it was also stated that low-altitude flights of fighter jets such as F-4 and F-16 could pose a danger to helicopters. The incident in the 1990s in Eskişehir, where a helicopter crashed due to the pressure caused by an F-4 passing close to it, was also cited as an example.
CONNECTION FROM F-4 PILOT TO ADİL ÖKSÜZ
It was determined that Ali Armağan, one of the pilots of the F-4 fighter jet assessed to be in the area at the time of the crash, came to Malatya on March 20, 2009, five days before the incident, to complete his flight hours. Records show that Armağan later faced legal proceedings due to FETÖ/PDY affiliation and was in prison between 2018 and 2023.
Investigations revealed that Armağan used operational lines for organizational activities from 2010 onwards and had intensive contact with Adil Öksüz, one of FETÖ’s covert imams in the Air Force.
It was also reflected in the investigation file that fingerprints of Ali Armağan's wife, Şerife Armağan, were found on a book written by organization leader Fetullah Gülen, seized during searches at Adil Öksüz's home.
COVERT IMAM TRAFFIC IN MALATYA BEFORE THE CRASH
One of the most striking details in the file was the meetings held by individuals assigned to FETÖ’s covert Air Force structure just before the crash. It was determined that Erol Sağlam, the Istanbul Air Covert Imam at the time, traveled from Istanbul to Diyarbakır on March 21, 2009, and then to Malatya.
Sağlam was found to have met with Ali Cingitaş, the organization's Malatya Air Covert Imam, in Malatya and returned to Istanbul on March 22. The common contact of Erol Sağlam and Ali Cingitaş was identified as Air Covert Imam Cağfer Sarıkaya.
WENT TO THE USA WITH ADİL ÖKSÜZ AND HARUN BİNİŞ
It was determined that Cağfer Sarıkaya, the common contact, went to the USA from Istanbul on March 23, 2009, together with Harun Biniş, who was captured at Akıncı Base during the July 15 coup attempt, and fugitive Adil Öksüz.
This trip took place only 2 days before the helicopter crash, drawing attention. It was also noted that Malatya Air Covert Imam Ali Cingitaş went to Istanbul 5 days after the crash, on March 30, 2009.
NOTEWORTHY CONTACT WITH KEMAL BATMAZ AFTER THE CRASH
According to information obtained by security units, it was determined that Malatya Air Covert Imam Ali Cingitaş met in Istanbul with Kemal Batmaz, one of FETÖ’s air covert imams with whom he had no prior contact.
It was recorded that Kemal Batmaz, identified as one of the individuals who managed Akıncı Air Base during the July 15 coup attempt, met with Erol Sağlam and Ali Cingitaş in Istanbul. The fact that Cingitaş and Batmaz, despite having no communication in previous years, established contact and met face-to-face immediately after the incident was considered striking by security units.
STRIKING BYLOCK MESSAGE ENTERED THE FILE: IT WAS HANDLED
ByLock correspondences, assessed to be possibly related to the incident, were also examined within the scope of the investigation. A message identified as being between Mehmet Durakoğlu, stated to be FETÖ’s Elazığ Provincial Imam at the time of the incident, and Ömer Hakan Kısıkkaya, who operated at a responsible level in the organization's civil administration covert structure, contained striking expressions.
The message was determined to contain the following statements:
“When the Yazıcıoğlu incident happened to me, I immediately went to Izmir. I met with brother Barbaros. He spoke with our elder. A committee gathered in Istanbul in the morning. At noon I came to El Aziz, we put the final touch. It was handled like pulling a hair out of butter. When I went to America, our elder said it was the most troublesome incident of the process.”
CLAIM OF "ELIMINATE" FROM A FORMER FETÖ MEMBER
Statements given voluntarily by Abuzer Dilekçi, who said he was previously within the FETÖ structure, on June 20 and 30, 2021, to the Adıyaman Anti-Terror Branch Directorate also entered the file.
Dilekçi, stated to have been a dormitory deputy director, said that a person codenamed "Jhosef," whom he claimed was one of Fetullah Gülen's close associates, organized the Turkish Olympiads, dealt with HSYK appointments, and determined the organization's country heads.
Dilekçi reported that this person stated in a meeting that Muhsin Yazıcıoğlu had declined an offer to side with FETÖ.
"WHEN NO WEAKNESS WAS FOUND, GÜLEN GAVE THE ORDER"
According to Dilekçi's statement, it was reported to Fetullah Gülen that Yazıcıoğlu refused to side with the organization. It was reflected in the statements that Gülen first ordered an investigation into Muhsin Yazıcıoğlu's weaknesses, but when none were found, he said "eliminate him."
Dilekçi said he concluded from these accounts that Muhsin Yazıcıoğlu's helicopter was brought down by FETÖ, resulting in his death. These statements were reflected in the judicial authorities' investigation file.
DARK CONNECTIONS BEING CLARIFIED
Judicial authorities state that the emerging fighter jet movements, the unusual contacts of FETÖ’s air covert structure before and after the incident, the connections to Adil Öksüz and Kemal Batmaz, the ByLock correspondences, and the statements from within the organization are of critical importance for the course of the investigation.
While investigation authorities are exploring all aspects of the possible connections between the nature of the crash and FETÖ’s activities before and after the incident, it is reported that the statements of the 29 suspects—27 in custody and 2 arrested—taken into custody most recently within the scope of the investigation are ongoing.