The colonel was appointed to the new position on Sept. 4, 2009. He was previously employed by the Information Support Unit of the General Staff.
Çiçek was arrested earlier this month for suspected membership in a clandestine terrorist organization, but was released after a brief detention. He was also arrested and released in July. The colonel is believed to have drafted a plot which included Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) plans to destroy the AK Party and the faith-based Gülen movement.
According to the plot, the TSK had a systematic plan to destroy the image of the AK Party government and the Gülen movement in the eyes of the public, to play down the Ergenekon investigation and to gather support for members of the military arrested as part of the investigation into Ergenekon, a criminal organization accused of plotting to overthrow the government. Dozens of Ergenekon members, including businessmen, members of the military and journalists, are currently incarcerated while standing trial.
A photocopied version of the plot was first published by a Turkish daily in June, but the General Staff denied responsibility for it, saying it was just a “piece of paper.” The original of the document, mailed by an unnamed military officer to an İstanbul prosecutor, put an end to all debates over the plot’s authenticity.
A military investigation is currently under way into the plot.
