The indictment, accepted by the İstanbul 12th High Criminal Court last Friday, concerns an ongoing probe into an alleged plot to assassinate admirals at the Naval Forces Command. In July of last year, seven naval lieutenants were arrested on charges of plotting to kill two admirals, Metin Ataç and Eşref Uğur Yiğit. Currently, there are 19 suspects in the case, 16 of whom are lieutenants. One other suspect is a colonel while the remaining two are civilians. The court’s request for measures around the courthouse on trial day to protect the suspects’ lives is a first in recent history. The first hearing is slated for May 7.
The groups mentioned in the indictment that seem to have close links with the potential assassins include the Support for Contemporary Life Association (ÇYDD), the Atatürkist Thought Association (ADD) and the Contemporary Education Foundation (ÇEV). The indictment claims that some of the lieutenants who were allegedly engaged in preparations to assassinate the admirals were trained by the ADD’s Sea Star Project. The Command Center Houses, an Ergenekon-affiliated organization of which the lieutenants are accused of being members, saw some of the lieutenants linked with these organizations fit for leadership in the organization. According to the indictment, some of the Command Center Houses documents make this point.
One document speaking about Lt. U.E.A. says: “He was trained through the Sea Star Project. He should be in the administrative structure.” About Lt. T.A., the document says: “[He] was one of the students trained specially by the ADD. Can be used in any kind of application. Should be included in the administrative cadre.” About Lt. T.B, the documents say: “She is a member of the ÇYDD. She was one of the favorites of Türkan [Saylan] Hodja. She has an important mission.”Many other details concerning the lieutenants, including plans to introduce some of the male lieutenants to girls to keep them engaged, have emerged. These documents also clearly show that the AD+D and the ÇYDD had special programs that the plotting lieutenants consistently attended. According to the indictment, the young lieutenants trained in the Sea Star Project also worked to blacklist religious students at the War Academy.
The indictment also claims that the lieutenants were used in the organization of massive demonstrations against the Justice and Development Party (AK Party) in 2007, known as Republican Rallies. The indictment in addition claims that at the Command Houses lieutenants were given drugs to induce addiction so they would not quit the organization.
The 168-page indictment, which has 16 additional evidence folders, claims that Lt. Col. Ali Tatar employed the services of a butcher named Leven Çakın to supply illegal narcotics to the group. The indictment also says that Ülkü Öztürk organized sex and drug parties in rented apartments and used these apartments to store the illegal drugs he acquired.
