This is beyond a witch-hunt – Turkey now blames Gülen movement for 9/11 attacks

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s chief advisor Yiğit Bulut.
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s chief advisor Yiğit Bulut.


Date posted: October 31, 2016

In yet another example of scapegoating the Gülen movement for anything bad in Turkey or in anywhere else in the world, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s chief advisor Yiğit Bulut hinted at connections between FETÖ and the 9/11 terrorist attacks in the US.

“FETÖ” is an abbreviation for the Fethullahist Terrorist Organization, coined by the Turkish government to label the movement as a terrorist organization. Erdoğan accuses the movement of masterminding a July 15 coup attempt in Turkey.

“This ‘terrorist network’ owns at least 230 schools in the US, and US nationals graduating from these schools hold positions at military and other institutions there. Such details are of crucial importance to the wise and to those who wish to figure them out.

“Considering these findings, let’s go back and ask: ‘Can there be a deep link between the FETÖ terrorist network and Sept. 11, 2001? What do you say, is it possible?” Bulut asked in his column published by the pro-government Star daily on Monday.

Bulut writes three columns per week for Star and also acts as a board member for Türk Telekom, Turkey’s largest telecommunication provider, which is partly owned by the state.
Accusing the movement of anything bad is nothing new in Turkey as top state officials as well as criminals and suspects also pin the blame on the movement for crimes, negligence and sometimes wrongdoing.

Last week, the infamous police officer who sprayed tear gas directly into the face of a female protestor, for which he received a suspended 20-month jail sentence, blamed his superior, whom he considers to be affiliated with the movement.

Earlier, Soma Holding Chairman Can Gürkan said Turkey’s worst mining accident that killed 301 people at his mine was a plot by the movement.

Sentenced to 19 years in prison for his ex-wife’s murder, Turkey’s infamous mob boss Alaattin Çakıcı earlier claimed that judges and prosecutors affiliated with the movement blocked a fair trial in his case.

Late in September, a report that the Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office attached to its investigation into the movement stated that the removal of talented pilots from within the military and FETÖ’s ensuing infiltration has increased the occurrence of crashes.

Deputy Prime Minister Nurettin Canikli also suggested alleged links between the movement and the recent downgrade in the country’s sovereign debt rating by Moody’s.

Source: Turkish Minute , October 31, 2016


Related News

New Constitution expected to eradicate remnants of Feb. 28 coup

Journalist Nazlı Ilıcak told Today’s Zaman that important steps have been taken to eradicate the remnants of Feb. 28 but Turkey needs to take more steps, via a new Constitution, to achieve overall democratization. However, Ilıcak noted that Turkey needs to take further steps towards democratization and settling its major problems, such as the Kurdish problem, through a new Constitution, which she said would contribute to make democratization permanent.

Turkey’s harsh new reality: the gateway to Jihad Central

The capture of notorious Australian Islamic State recruiter Neil Prakash highlights an uncomfortable new reality for Turkey: it has become the gateway to Jihad Central.

Being partners of the state

The freshly appointed justice minister, using phrases not easily understandable to people in the streets, said, “Neither God nor the state accepts partners.” This statement does not have an Islamic background. Every citizen is a partner of the state. The duty of a government is to perform common tasks in the name of these partners and based on the mandate given to it.

Turkish editor hits out at media coercion under Erdoğan

Segments of the Turkish media remain fiercely anti-government, however, including secularist dailies Sözcü and Cumhuriyet, and more recently Zaman and Bugün, which are close to Gülen and have become more critical since the graft scandal erupted.

PM Sipilä and FM Soini of Finland: Turkey needs to return to a path that respects human rights

Prime Minister Juha Sipilä and Foreign Minister Timo Soini [of Finland] have responded to a letter from the Finnish Union of Journalists. The Union’s missive asked the ministers to urge Turkey to avoid extreme measures in the aftermath of July’s failed coup.

The Peace Islands Institute’s 5th Annual Law Enforcement Appreciation Award

The outstanding contribution of law enforcement officers was recognized at an award ceremony in Morristown, New Jersey. The Peace Islands Institute’s 5th Annual Law Enforcement Appreciation Award united community members with law enforcement personnel.

Latest News

Turkish inmate jailed over alleged Gülen links dies of heart attack in prison

Message of Condemnation and Condolences for Mass Shooting at Bondi Beach, Sydney

Media executive Hidayet Karaca marks 11th year in prison over alleged links to Gülen movement

ECtHR faults Turkey for convictions of 2,420 applicants over Gülen links in follow-up to 2023 judgment

New Book Exposes Erdoğan’s “Civil Death Project” Targeting the Hizmet Movement

European Human Rights Treaty Faces Legal And Political Tests

ECtHR rejects Turkey’s appeal, clearing path for retrials in Gülen-linked cases

Erdoğan’s Civil Death Project’ : The ‘politicide’ spanning more than a decade

Fethullah Gülen’s Vision and the Purpose of Hizmet

In Case You Missed It

An Experience of Co-Existence: Panel on the Example of Istanbul and Şanlıurfa

Kimse Yok Mu officials hand out aid with flashlights in rain

What I Saw In Turkey

Abant Platform takes on sustainable growth, separation of powers

Auditors raid Gülen-inspired private school in Adana with police

Erdogan critic calls jailing of his mother and brother ‘perverse’ and ‘politically motivated’

Under arrest for months, 62-year-old teacher dies of cancer in prison

Copyright 2026 Hizmet News