19 people were arrested: Testimonies in the Muhsin Yazıcıoğlu investigation revealed

In the investigation that has returned to the agenda regarding the helicopter crash in which Muhsin Yazıcıoğlu, the founding chairman of the Great Unity Party (BBP), and those accompanying him lost their lives, the police and prosecution testimonies of the suspects have drawn attention. Out of 27 suspects detained within the scope of the file conducted by the Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor's Office, 19 have been arrested.

According to the report by Türkiye Gazetesi, one of the prominent topics in the investigation was the allegation that although the location of the helicopter was identified within a narrow area using base station signal data immediately after the crash, the wreckage was only reached days later. While some suspects in the file denied the accusations, statements regarding the flow of information during the search and rescue process and the accident investigation were placed under scrutiny.

STATEMENTS REGARDING SEARCH OPERATIONS

In the testimony of İsmail Kaya, who was serving in the Kahramanmaraş Intelligence Branch at the time, it was alleged that a false information note stating that Yazıcıoğlu had a broken leg and was taken to Göksun State Hospital was sent on the day of the accident under the instructions of the then-Intelligence Chief Dursun Özmen. It was claimed that this note influenced the direction of the search and rescue efforts.

According to Kaya's testimony, İlyas Uçar, who was serving in the branch, correctly identified the crash site within an area of approximately 1.5 kilometers using base station signal data immediately after the crash. Kaya stated that Uçar complained during this process by saying, “They are insistently not going to the address I found” and expressed his frustration.

Highlights from the testimony of the then-Intelligence Branch officer İsmail Kaya are as follows:

“With the order of my superior, we sent a false information note stating that Muhsin Yazıcıoğlu had been taken to the hospital with a broken leg.

A branch officer correctly identified the crash site pinpoint-accurately using base station data immediately after the accident.

Despite this, that location was not checked, and the wreckage was reached 3 days later.”

On the other hand, the conversation that IHA reporter İsmail Güneş, who survived the helicopter crash but lost his life due to the cold, had with 112 emergency services has returned to the agenda.

The record of the conversation Güneş had with 112 is as follows:

Güneş: We crashed in a helicopter with Muhsin Yazıcıoğlu.

112: “Where are you, sir?”

Güneş: I don't know where we are.

112: “Are the helicopter's coordinates known? Where did you take the helicopter from?”

Güneş: Together with Muhsin Yazıcıoğlu…

112: “The party's helicopter?”

Güneş: It's very cold here… Hurry, the battery will die.

112: “Do not hang up the phone, sir.”

The conversation that IHA reporter İsmail Güneş, who came out of the helicopter alive but died from the cold, had with 112 to stay alive:

— “We crashed in a helicopter with Muhsin Yazıcıoğlu.”
+ “Where are you, sir.”

— “I don't know where we are.”
+ “Are the helicopter's coordinates known?… https://t.co/2xNwqiUlyo pic.twitter.com/TcyfGaFMq1

— BPT (@bpthaber) July 18, 2026

The file also included HTS records regarding Kenan Köksal, who was stated to have gone to the wreckage with the team despite not being a member of the civilian accident investigation team and to have dismantled some parts of the helicopter. It was stated that Köksal had met with Brigadier General İsmail Güneser, whose name appeared on the martial law list during the July 15 period, and was in contact with 9 secret imams. Köksal, however, did not accept the accusations against him.

MISSING DEVICES AND ACCIDENT INVESTIGATION COMMITTEE

In the testimony of Kerem Mumcuoğlu, who was on the Accident Investigation Committee, it was stated that some devices in the helicopter were in place during the initial inspection but were later noticed to be missing. Mumcuoğlu explained that he wanted the missing device to be written in the report, but Feridun Seren stated that there was no need to add it to the report, saying that the Public Prosecutor's Office had been informed.

It was also reported that Mehmet Sevdim, who was on the same committee, said that when the photos taken on the first day at the crash site were compared with those taken on the second day, a device was missing. Findings regarding Sevdim's contact with certain individuals were also included in the file.

It was noted that Accident Investigation Committee Chairman Feridun Seren was also the head of the team during the Atlasjet plane crash in Isparta on November 30, 2007, in which 57 people lost their lives. It was recorded that Seren, who is accused of preparing false reports, also denied the allegations.

The file also included findings regarding the FETÖ background of Ali Armağan, one of the pilots of the F-4 jet stated to have been flying in the region at the time of the crash, as well as statements from some pilots denying the "sonic boom" allegations. The pilots argued that it was technically and scientifically impossible to bring down a helicopter with a sonic boom.

Retired Petty Officer Bekir Çerikçi, who served on the Accident Investigation Committee, attributed the crash to weather conditions. It was reported that other suspects within the scope of the investigation also denied the accusations directed at them in their police and prosecution testimonies.