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

In Berlin, inside a Gulen “light-house”

In recent years, the movement has received more scrutiny, not least after its long-time alley, Turkish President Erdogan, publicly split with the group, accusing it of infiltrating state institutions and even outright “terrorism”. Germany’s intelligence services disagree: In 2014, they published an assessment outlining that while some elements within the movement gave room for concern, they didn’t warrant an observation of the movement.

Ethiopian schools linked to Turkish cleric are sold to German educators

A network of schools in Ethiopia linked to Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen is changing ownership. The sale of the Nejashi Ethio-Turkish International Schools follows pressure from the government of Turkish President Erdogan, who is urging countries that host institutions inspired by Gulen to close or take them over.

Turkey seeks three consecutive life sentences for Zaman journalists on coup charges

An indictment prepared by an İstanbul prosecutor seeks three consecutive life sentences for 30 individuals who include journalists and executives from the now-closed Zaman daily on coup charges. The daily, which was affiliated with the Gülen movement, was first seized by the Turkish government in March 2016 and the closed down in the aftermath of a failed coup attempt on July 15, 2016.

Turkish police to detain another woman immediately after delivery

A group of police officers awaited outside a private hospital in Yalova province of Turkey in order to detain a woman who had given birth several hours earlier, according to a tweet by MağduriyetlerTR account.

Turkish mob boss to gov’t: Why bother with diplomacy? We’ll kill Gülen, his followers

Turkey’s infamous mob boss Alaattin Çakıcı implied in a letter to the Justice Ministry that his mafia network could kill Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen in Pennsylvania and his senior followers elsewhere in the world. Çakıcı’s letter came weeks after Turkey’s controversial request that the US extradite Gülen.

Brussels, Paris and Berlin

As the Turkish prime minister opted to market the graft probe as a coup attempt against his government and accused the Hizmet movement of masterminding this coup, interest was aroused in the Hizmet movement and its clout.

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

Fethullah Gulen, the man rushing to put out the fire

Attacking the Journalists and Writers Foundation

‘Consider your husband dead, start a new life,’ prosecutor tells detainee’s wife

Professors in Gaziantep profiled alongside students

Gülen’s defense against Erdoğan’s onslaught

Lawyers confirm: Turkish teachers are still in Kosovo

Winds of friendship were enjoyed in different parts of Turkey during the month of Muharram

Copyright 2026 Hizmet News