When one scrutinizes the WhatsApp messages and lists of coup plotters who would have been appointed to critical posts of the country, it’s beyond doubt that the attempt was the brainchild of members of the Fethullah Gulen movement, known in Turkey as the Fethullah Gulen Terrorist Organization (FETO).
The air force and gendarmerie forces played key roles in the uprising. The coup attempt launched by generals calling themselves “Peace in the Country Council” was planned at the Gendarmerie General Command Headquarters in Ankara. Akinci Air Base, some 20 kilometers (12 miles) from the city, served as the coup’s operations center. In addition to several armored units in Ankara and Istanbul, assault and general-purpose helicopters of the army aviation units supported the coup attempt.
