Gülen letter ordering judges to release FETÖ members most solid evidence to date: prosecutor

A written order signed by the leader of the Gülenist terror group (FETÖ) Fetullah Gülen to judges for the release of all arrested FETÖ members is the most solid piece of evidence yet, Istanbul chief prosecutor Irfan Fidan said Friday.

The letter in question urged FETÖ-affiliated judges to release police officers and other senior figures, including Samanyolu TV-owner Hidayet Karaca and fugitive former deputy police chief Hüseyin Korkmaz, who is currently testifying in the highly-politicized Zarrab trial in New York.

Speaking at a press conference, Fidan said the letter dated April 18, 2015 was seized during a raid to the residence of the former art director of now-defunct Zaman newspaper, Fevzi Yazıcı, and was found inside a trove of digital documents he brought from the U.S. where Gülen resides.

The prosecutor also named the judges who received the order and followed the instructions of the FETÖ leader, releasing 63 suspects.

He said that the records showed Yazıcı entered Turkey after arriving from the U.S. on April 18, 2015, bringing the letter with him along with nearly 100 USB drives storing delicate information about the terror group.