ANKARA
A former Turkish special operations police commander has urged the public to remain vigilant against covert threats, 10 years after the defeated July 15, 2016 coup attempt.
On July 15, 2016, a faction within the Turkish Armed Forces linked to the Fethullah Gulen Terrorist Organization (FETO) attempted to seize power in several cities, particularly Ankara and Istanbul.
The coup plotters opened fire on civilians, turned against their commanders and bombed the Turkish parliament and presidential complex, killing 253 people and wounding thousands.
Eraslan Er, then head of the Ankara Police Department’s Special Operations Branch, told Anadolu that protecting the country is not only the state’s responsibility.
“The nation has to remain vigilant,” Er said, accusing FETO members of infiltrating state institutions while appearing loyal.
Er said he was first sent to the Turkish General Staff headquarters after reports of unusual activity, but police were denied entry.
He later learned that a coup attempt was underway and joined an operation at the Gendarmerie General Command headquarters, described as the center of the plot’s ground operation.
Er said civilians also gathered in the area and resisted the coup following President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s call to defend democracy.
“That night witnessed a resistance unlike anything seen in history,” he said.
During searches inside the headquarters, Er found Turgut Aslan, then head of the Turkish National Police Counterterrorism Department, critically wounded after being shot in the head.
Police secured an ambulance and carried Aslan out on a stretcher.
“Turgut Aslan was the miracle of that night,” Er said, referring to his survival despite the life-threatening injury.
“May Allah never make this nation experience such a dark night again,” he said. “But those who would attempt it should know that this nation would give the same answer again.”
