Gulen sympathizer stabbed by pro-Erdogan relative in Belgium


Date posted: July 6, 2017

Ibrahim Anaz, one of the executives at a Brussels-based association sympathetic to the Gulen movement, was stabbed by a family member who is a supporter of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, according to local media.

Anaz was stabbed and seriously wounded by one of his in-laws during a dispute in Merksem district on Wednesday.

Police told media that the incident came just after a political discussion and Anaz’s lawyer said the attacker was not directly involved in the conversation. “The victim received two stab wounds in the arm and hand,” police added.

Anaz, who was taken to a hospital in a neighboring city, works as one of the spokespersons for FEDACTIO [Federatie van Actieve Verenigingen van België], an umbrella organization with member associations all over Belgium.

Established with the aim of cultural integration between Belgium and Turkey in 2010, FEDACTIO was attacked by Erdogan supporters also in the very aftermath of the July 15, 2016 coup attempt, for which the Turkish government pinned the blame on the Gulen movement. FEDACTIO’s premises were damaged by stones thrown by pro-Erdogan youngsters back then.

Daily Sabah, a pro-government English-language Turkish daily said on July 5 that FEDACTIO “acts as an umbrella organization for FETÖ in Belgium.”

FETO is a derogatory buzzword coined by Erdogan who calls the movement as Fethullahist Terrorist Organization, a clear reference to Fethullah Gulen, a US-based cleric who inspires the movement.

Cem Küçük, a staunchly pro-government journalist known for his attacks on government critics on social media, earlier suggested that Turkish government supporters living overseas were willing to carry out the assassinations and that the Turkish National Intelligence Organization (MİT) has the authority to carry out such acts outside the country.

Turkish government has already detained more than 120,000 people over links to the movement in Turkey and Erdoğan called on foreign governments to punish Gülen followers in their own countries. Only a small number of countries including Saudi Arabia, Malaysia, and Myanmar have deported Gulen followers upon Turkey’s request so far.

Meanwhile, Turkish government has stepped up spying activities against its perceived enemies abroad, a controversial issue that was blasted by European government on multiple occasions. Germany cancelled recognition of a Turkish mosque on allegations that its imam was involved in spying activities against Gulen followers over the weekend.

Source: Turkey Purge , July 7, 2017


Related News

Boat carrying Turkish asylum seekers capsizes off Greece, killing 3 children and 3 others

At least 6 people, including 3 children, were killed after a boat carrying Turkish asylum seekers capsized in the Aegean Sea on Sunday.

Turkey detains Mozambican software developer over links to Gülen movement

Helton Silva Malambane, a software developer from Mozambique who previously worked with the now-shut-down Fatih University, was detained by police at his residence in İstanbul over links to the Gülen movement, whose sympathizers the government accuses of masterminding a failed coup attempt on July 15. Twenty-seven-year-old Malambane was detained after police received anonymous tips about him.

Critics of Turkey’s president across Europe tell of threats

Ercan Karakoyun looks twice over his shoulder when he leaves his Berlin home to make sure nobody is following him. The 37-year-old, who is the public face of the Gulen movement in Germany, says he has received several death threats since the aborted overthrow.

Alleged Gülen sympathizers in prison banned from communication with outside world

The İstanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office has prohibited individuals in Silivri Prison who are currently under arrest over their alleged links to the faith-based Gülen movement from communicating with the outside world during an ongoing state of emergency, the Sözcü daily reported on Monday.

Another woman faces detention just after giving birth: opposition deputy

Turkish police are waiting at Balıkesir Sevgi Hospital to detain M.A., who just gave birth by cesarean section, over alleged links to Turkey’s Gülen group, an opposition deputy tweeted on Saturday.

Critics locked up at home as President Erdogan arrives in India

“I have no family to look after me here, and an arrest warrant has been issued for me in Turkey. All three of my business partners and the CEO of my company have been jailed in Turkey. I lead the life of a fugitive,” he says. Salman is wary of providing details about himself or his family, and refuses to be photographed. “My wife and daughter are still there, I don’t want to put them in trouble,” he says.

Latest News

Sacramento leaders gather for Iftar dinner in celebration of Ramadan

SEO Skill Suite: Tools for Keyword Research, Technical & Backlink Analysis

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

In Case You Missed It

Emerging context: Globalised world and Islam

Erdogan: The Sultan of an illusionary Ottoman Empire

Final Declaration of “Coexistence in Islamic Civilizations and Contemporary Reviews” Conference

Pakistani Education Minister hails Turkish schools

An unshakable spiritual unity, unique to Hizmet Movement volunteers

UN representative found evidence of torture in Turkish prisons

Gülen: ‘Shame for military to stage coups but not to finish off the PKK’

Copyright 2026 Hizmet News