Tcu Bomb Threat

The Turkish authorities filed a complaint to Paris yesterday against terrorist group the Tbar (Turkish: Hürtoğlu) to target Tcu bomb suspects who escaped from prison in August. This issue is being described by Turkish officials as an attempt to impede the investigations into the failed July 15 attempt to assassinate the Turkish President Erdogan in Ankara using an AK-47 bomb.

Erdogan previously tried to use Tbar to kill him during the Turkish coup earlier in 2013, but succeeded after a botched operation that ended badly.

Two Tbar suspects were arrested in Istanbul yesterday and they are being held in an undisclosed location. They have been reportedly interrogated repeatedly for over a week. According to the Turkish Foreign Ministry, the Turkish State Attorney’s Office has filed a petition to Istanbul, Turkey’s prosecutor’s office, to seek the detention of Tbar suspects to investigate their possible treasonous actions in Ankara.

The indictment issued by the Turkish State Attorney’s Office to charge Tbar suspects states that, “Tbar … was operational from July to 15, 2013, and participated in various intelligence operations [against President Erdogan and his government] in the form of a campaign of misinformation (believing that presidential elections would take place that fall) regarding the 2016 presidential elections in which President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan was proclaimed the winner.”

The indictment states that the organization’s actions caused damage in certain social circles, interfering with public order, violating all human rights in Turkey and the environment, and weakening democratic institutions.

The indictment further notes that the group’s activities included aiding in the arrests of political opponents or terrorists in some of those social circles, intimidating and humiliating activists and journalists, and attempting to prevent or interfere in the investigation of the failed July 15 coup. The indictment further notes that Tbar cells published false information on social media and offered support to the attackers during the coup.

Because the Istanbul district attorney in charge of the department investigated the failed coup, and recognized the group’s potential terrorist links, the indictment states that it has no basis for indicting criminal responsibility against Tbar as a political group. To date, the trial of Tbar leaders remains pending. According to Turkish officials, Tbar has not been charged with any planned terrorist attack.