It is recently claimed that Chief of General Staff, Hulusi Akar, and Intelligence Head Hakan Fidan held a private meeting for six hours after a military ceremony on July 14, 2016, prior to the coup attempt

Heated debates are still continuing around the July 15 military coup attempt in Turkey. While many important military officers and bureaucrats have been purged of the Turkish army and critical governmental offices, two key figures have remained in office: Hulusi Akar, Chief of the General Staff, and Hakan Fidan, the head of Turkey's National Intelligence Organisation (MİT).

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan blamed the security apparatus for the lack of intelligence in the run-up to the coup, adding that he failed to contact intel chief Fidan and army chief Akar on the coup attempt evening. Despite Fidan and his intel office failed to inform Erdoğan on the intelligence regarding the coup during the day of the attempt, Erdoğan decided to continue to work with Fidan after their first private meeting on July 22 following the putsch attempt.

AKAR AND FİDAN HELD A PRIVATE MEETING BEFORE THE COUP?

Recent allegations have fuelled the already heated debates over the coup attempt. According to a news report by Müyesser Yıldız from Odatv, it is claimed that Akar and Fidan held a private meeting until late at night after a military ceremony on July 14, just one day before the coup attempt. Yıldız says this allegation came from a serjeant, Mehmet Bilge, who is now on trial as an accomplice to the coup.

Mehmet Bilge said before the court, “A ceremony was held within the Special Forces Command on July 14, which should have been held on Friday not Thursday. The Specials Command should be asked why Thursday. The chief of General Staff and the head of MİT attended it. As far as I know, they had a private conversation until 11 pm.”

Indicating to some other sources for this allegation, journalist Yıldız says she could confirm that the ceremony was held on Thursday (July 14) despite it should have been held on Friday (July 15) in accordance with the Turkish army’s traditional practices.

Yıldız continues: “Despite Deputy Chief of General staff should have attended it, Hulusi Akar attended the ceremony along with intel head Hakan Fidan. Other guests left after the ceremony and cocktail party, but Hulusi Akar and Hakan Fidan stayed there and commanded others to ‘leave them alone’ to talk privately. The conversation is said to have continued until 00.30 am.”

Emphasising that it is very interesting to see that the two key mysterious figures of the coup held a private meeting for six hours prior to the coup attempt, Yıldız asks why this information has never been put on the agenda for the last seven months following the putsch attempt.