His Sister and Father Were Arrested for Aiding Him

Burkay Karatepe, a dismissed captain and FETÖ member sought for 10 years via Interpol red notice over his role in the July 15 coup attempt's assassination plot against President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, was referred to court in Muğla under heavy security. Karatepe, captured at his hideout in Afyonkarahisar, faced charges including assassination attempt on the president, two counts of intentional killing of public officials, attempted intentional killing, property damage, deprivation of liberty, aggravated robbery, and violating domicile. The 37-member hit squad attacked the Marmaris hotel where Erdoğan stayed, killing police officers Mehmet Çetin and Nedip Cengiz Eker before fleeing; 36 were caught, but Karatepe evaded capture by buying sunglasses, shorts, and sandals to blend in, moving from Marmaris to İzmir, Eskişehir, then Afyonkarahisar.

His sister and father were arrested for aiding him. Six months ago, intelligence units launched a new operation, tracking a man who always wore hats and avoided cameras, confirming his identity and raiding his home in İnaz Deprem Evleri. Authorities seized large amounts of Turkish lira, foreign currency, gold, fake IDs, photos, a laptop, three phones, documents, 1 gram of heroin, and digital materials. Karatepe had changed disguises constantly to evade facial recognition.