16.09.2025 20:40
Süleyman Yasin Akdeniz, a pilgrimage and umrah guide who was injured in an armed attack organized against him in his office in Kocaeli, stated that the incident occurred when he turned his back to offer the assailant zamzam water.
On September 8, in the Gölcük district of Kocaeli, Suleyman Yasin Akdeniz, a pilgrimage and umrah guide who was injured in an armed attack at his office, was discharged after his treatment. Akdeniz stated that the incident occurred when he turned his back to offer the assailant zamzam water.
Suleyman Yasin Akdeniz, who works as a pilgrimage and umrah guide in Gölcük, Kocaeli, was attacked with a gun in his own office. Injured Akdeniz was taken to the hospital for treatment. In the investigation into the attackers, 7 people were arrested.
"IF I WERE IN ISTANBUL, THEY WOULD HAVE SHOT ME IN ISTANBUL"
After being discharged from the hospital, Suleyman Yasin Akdeniz made statements regarding the attack.
"He wanted to reach me for umrah. Due to the busyness, I didn't respond the next day, on the 6th, around 1:30 PM, we talked on the phone for 15 minutes. We discussed umrah, and he got some information from me about it. He spoke convincingly and used a lot of religious jargon. Since we agreed on Sunday, I went out on Monday and completed some deficiencies. Around 11:00 AM, I called again, I texted. He said, 'We are on the way, there is traffic at the entrance of Kocaeli, it will take about an hour.' At that moment, he sent me a Turkish number saying, 'My cousin Ferhan has arrived early, we were supposed to meet there. You meet him, I will be there in an hour.'
"AS SOON AS I TURNED MY BACK TO OFFER ZAMZAM WATER, HE GRABBED A GUN"
Akdeniz, who said he trusted the person who introduced himself as Ferhan because he communicated through a Turkish number, stated, "Around 12:00 PM, in front of the cameras, my back was to the Gölcük Police Station, and on my side was the municipality during the day. I saw him at the door, he had a white hat and a short yellow beard. I greeted him very warmly. He was at most in his 30s, I still don't know him, the police haven't provided information yet.
"AT THAT MOMENT, I UTTERED THE TAKBIR"
I turned my back to offer zamzam water. As soon as I turned my back, he grabbed a gun from where he was sitting. This person targeted me from behind, from my back, my head, and my spine while sitting. I had no idea because I couldn't see behind me. I had to bend down with my head and body to fill the zamzam. Just as I was about to pick it up from the ground, he grabbed the gun and fired once. It didn't hit my waist and back; it directly hit my hip. The bullet entered from my hip and exited from my groin. I was wearing black that day, I had black pants and a black Medina t-shirt. Someone shooting wouldn't understand how I was hit. When I was shot, I didn't get up; when I fell, he shot again. That also hit about four fingers below my hip bone. I lost consciousness and fell to the ground; I saw him escaping from the office. At that moment, I loudly said Allahu Akbar and uttered the takbir," he said.
"I HAD STARTED TO EXPOSE FETÖ IN TURKEY"
After the incident, Akdeniz stated that he received a death threat message on his phone, "It is said that he owns a textile company. Besides that, they sent a video after shooting me. They put my picture with a camel on a gypsy dancing and said that instead of throwing stones at the devil to get umrah cheaply, they threw stones at me. They are so sure that I will die that they sent such a video. I am alive now, thank God I am fine. My treatments are ongoing; I am at work, and I hope to recover and get back on my feet as soon as possible.
I had started to expose FETÖ in Turkey, and many media outlets and law enforcement agencies benefited from it. This way, I became a brand name. The only reason for the news about Suleyman Yasin Akdeniz, who exposes FETÖ's activities in Turkey, is that. If I were to explain who I exposed one by one, it would take a year. I have separate studies on FETÖ's structure in law enforcement, politics, judiciary, youth, new communities, abroad, and in Turkey. Thanks to these studies, many families in Turkey were able to pull their children out of this organization. In the videos I published at the moment I was shot, I also named and targeted individuals, stating who did it in my previous publications," he said.