Denial at the prosecutor's office: He had helped Adil Öksüz escape

In an operation conducted against the Fethullahist Terrorist Organization (FETÖ) in Istanbul, Cihat Yıldız, who enabled the escape of FETÖ's so-called TSK imam Adil Öksüz after the July 15 coup attempt, was arrested. Yıldız's testimony to the prosecutor has been obtained.

According to the report by Sabah, Yıldız, who exercised his right to remain silent at the police station, chose to speak at the prosecutor's office.

HIS BROTHER'S ID WAS FOUND ON HIM

In his 4-page statement, Yıldız strictly followed the instructions given to organization members on how to testify when caught. Yıldız, who was found with his brother's ID card at the time of his capture, denied the allegations against him. Claiming he did not remember being a ByLock user, Yıldız asserted that he was not part of FETÖ's clandestine structure.

GETTING INTO THE CAR WAS A 'COINCIDENCE'

Claiming that he was walking in Esenyurt on the day he was caught and that he could not go to the noon prayer, Yıldız said, "There was no mosque nearby. By coincidence, I went to a white vehicle waiting there. I asked the person sitting in the driver's seat if there was a nearby mosque. He said he could drop me off at a mosque if I wanted. I accepted. That is how we set off."

(A PHOTO OF CİHAT YILDIZ, THE RIGHT-HAND MAN OF FETÖ'S NUMBER TWO MUSTAFA ÖZCAN, TAKEN 8 YEARS AGO)

Claiming that they also picked up Ahmet Hızal, one of the clandestine officials of FETÖ who was caught with him, by chance, Yıldız stated, "There was another person I didn't know at that time. He said, 'Let me come too.' The driver said okay. That is how we got into the vehicle. I met Ahmet Hızal there for the first time by coincidence. I didn't know him before. I didn't know the person driving the car before either. We were caught in the same vehicle purely by coincidence."

(CİHAT YILDIZ)

"WE GOT OUT OF THE CAR TO GO TO THE MOSQUE"

Describing the moments of his capture, Yıldız said, "We drove for a while. When we had gone one kilometer, I saw a mosque on the left side. The driver said he couldn't turn that way and offered to drop me off somewhere else on the road. At that moment, traffic stopped. I saw there was a police checkpoint ahead. Since the time for the noon prayer was passing, I got out of the car with the other person to walk to the mosque. The police officer called us over. That is how I was caught."

(CLANDESTINE OFFICIAL AHMET HIZAL)

DID NOT REMEMBER USING BYLOCK

Yıldız, who did not admit to operating within FETÖ, confirmed that he had records in companies where trustees were appointed due to FETÖ affiliation, and regarding his deposit into Bank Asya, he said, "It is true that I deposited money in 2014 because I did not find it appropriate for Bank Asya to be bankrupted at that time and I saw it as an injustice."

Yıldız also denied the allegation that he used ByLock and claimed he did not remember.

(THE HOUSE WHERE ADİL ÖKSÜZ HID IN ÜSKÜDAR)

WHAT HAPPENED?

In Istanbul's Beylikdüzü district, a vehicle that was signaled to stop at a police checkpoint recently began to flee, and the police pursued it.

While two suspects caught as a result of the chase were being removed from the vehicle, the suspect driving the car turned in the opposite direction and fled. As a result of the investigations, it was determined that the individuals caught were Cihat Y. and Ahmet H., and that they were FETÖ fugitives.

The police examined nearly 100 camera recordings and caught the driver, Adem B., in an operation. It was determined that Adem B. had been dismissed from the Air Force Command due to FETÖ affiliation while serving with the rank of major.

NETWORK FOR FLEEING ABROAD DISMANTLED

It was revealed that the detained suspects were involved in the current structure of FETÖ and were helping organization members flee abroad by placing them in "Gaybubet" (safe) houses. The three FETÖ fugitives, who were referred to the courthouse after their procedures at the police station, were arrested.