Erdogan Claims Enemies Responsible For Shoot Down Of Russian Jet, Justifies Mass Arrests

By Brandon Turbeville

In the aftermath of the failed Turkish coup which President Erdogan has blamed on the United States via the Gulen Movement, the Erdogan faction has reacted by arresting members of the government and military belonging to the nationalist faction and those who hold nationalist sentiment, including groups of political dissidents and Erdogan opponents.

Now, as the world watches Erdogan’s faction mop up those who may have stood as obstacles to his own political agenda in Turkey, the Turkish government is claiming that the members of the Gulen Movement in Turkey were responsible for the shoot down of the Russian jet that resulted in Russian sanctions and so much international tension not only between Russia and Turkey but also between Russia and NATO.

As Sputnik reports,

A member of the movement tied to the so-called parallel state linked to prominent Turkish oppositionist Fethullah Gulen, who was involved in killing of Russian pilot over Syria last year, participated in attempted coup in Turkey, Mayor of the Turkish capital of Ankara Ibrahim Melih Gokcek said.

. . . . . .

“It was the ‘parallel state’ that has deteriorated our relations with Russia. It was an incident, in which one of the pilots of this structures has participated, I guarantee it. He was one of the coup’s participants. We have not voiced it until now. But I, Melih Gokcek, say that our relations have been deteriorated by these villains,” Gokcek said, as quoted by CNN Turk.

Erdogan claims that the goal of the “parallel state” was to isolate Turkey on the international scene

Likewise, the Turkish government has detained two Air Force pilots that were allegedly involved in the shoot down of the Russian jet.

RT reports,

Two Turkish Air Force pilots linked to the downing of a Russian Su-24 bomber in November have been detained in connection with the recent failed coup attempt in Turkey, the country’s justice minister has said.
“The pilots that downed the Russian jet were arrested,” Haberturk TV channel quoted Turkish Justice Minister Bekir Bozdag as saying on Tuesday.

Earlier, AFP quoted an unidentified official as telling journalists that “Two pilots who were part of the operation to down the Russian Su-24 in November 2015 are in custody.” The official stressed that the military pilots have been arrested over links to the coup, not because of the attack on the Russian plane.

The pilots find themselves among more than 7,500 other Turks, including 103 generals and admirals, who have been detained following the failed coup on July 15, according to figures given by the Turkish authorities. The instigators of the failed power grab are believed to be high-ranking air force officers.

. . . . .

The day after the coup attempt, the mayor of Ankara, Melih Gokcek, announced that the pilot who had shot down the Russian plane had taken part in the coup, and was a member of a secret “parallel state” organization allegedly headed by cleric Fethullah Gulen, who lives in self-exile in the US.

“It is a ‘parallel state’ that has ruined our relationship with Russia. It was an incident that involved one of the pilots of this structure, 100 percent. He was one of the participants in the coup,” the mayor told CNN Turk. Melih Gokcek stressed that “our relations with Russia have been spoiled by these villains.”

While there does exist the possibility that an element within the U.S.-supported Gulen Movement could have been involved in the coup and unsanctioned activity within the Turkish military and governmental structure, it should strike informed observers as highly suspicious that those upon whom Erdogan is now cracking down would be labeled responsible for elements of Turkish policy that did not work to Erdogan’s benefit or aid Turkey’s standing in the world.

Indeed, it seems very convenient that, after the shoot down incident when Russian sanctions have been crippling Turkey and the Russians showing clearly that a Turkish threat is not something that will prevent them from operating in Syria, suddenly Erdogan’s enemies are those being blamed for the strategic blunder and international aggression.

After all, if a “parallel state” had been responsible for the shoot down of the Russian jet, why did Erdogan do nothing to crack down on the rogue actors at the time? Why did he not act to smooth things over with the Russians immediately instead of digging in his heels and justifying the act? Even if Erdogan wanted to save face and not appear as weak, he could have mended fences behind the scenes. That is, unless the sanctions were agreed to by Russia so that the Russians could also appear as taking a tough line but, then, Erdogan’s apology would have undone all his staunch resistance and tough appearance and largely negated the goal of the plan to begin with.

In the end, we simply do not know whether a “parallel state” actor did, indeed, work to make Erdogan look foolish and weak or whether Erdogan, whose own delusions of grandeur have been thoroughly documented, is simply opportunistically blaming his enemies for his failures as justification for purging them from the government and military. Erdogan’s behavior over the course of the next few weeks, however, will tell us more and will do a great deal toward clearing up the question as to who was behind the failed Turkish coup.

Brandon Turbeville – article archive here – is the author of seven books, Codex Alimentarius — The End of Health Freedom, 7 Real Conspiracies, Five Sense Solutions and Dispatches From a Dissident, volume 1 and volume 2, The Road to Damascus: The Anglo-American Assault on Syria, and The Difference it Makes: 36 Reasons Why Hillary Clinton Should Never Be President. Turbeville has published over 650 articles on a wide variety of subjects including health, economics, government corruption, and civil liberties. Brandon Turbeville’s radio show Truth on The Tracks can be found every Monday night 9 pm EST at UCYTV. His website is BrandonTurbeville.com He is available for radio and TV interviews. Please contact activistpost (at) gmail.com.

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