Ergenekon (material evidence)
Encyclopedia
A common objection to the investigation into the clandestine organization "Ergenekon" is that the group does not have the wherewithal to carry out large-scale militant acts. This section aims to clarify what is known about the munitions presented as evidence. This is also of relevance to linking acts allegedly carried out by the organization, as it has been alleged that weapons of the same type and serial number were found in several locations. Debate has focused in particular on the grenades, which can be uniquely identified by the fuse type and batch number .
According to police officials, "HGR DM 41" indicates German origin, SPLITTER denotes a fragmentation grenade
, "COMP-B" means composition B
, "LOS" indicates European production up to NATO standards, while the number following "FMP" indicates the batch.
One of the two grenades recovered in Akhisar
, Manisa had the serial number HGR DM 41 SPLITTER COMP-B LOS FMP 24. Another grenade from Eyüp
, İstanbul had the serial number HGR DM 41 COMP-B LOS FMR-24.
Urla, İzmir (1999)
One of the ten grenades had the serial number HGR DM 41 SPLITTER COMP-B LOS FMP 16.
Şemdinli (2005)
Two grenades used in the Şemdinli
incident on 9 November 2005 were found to bear the serial number HGR DM 41 SPLITTER COMP-B LOS FMP 134.
Cumhuriyet (2006)
Alparslan bombed the offices of the newspaper Cumhuriyet in May 2006. The grenades did not go off in his first two attempts; he succeeded on his third. The NATO standard, Makine ve Kimya Endüstrisi Kurumu (MKE) model 44 grenades had the following serial numbers:
The part before the slash denotes the fuse type, while the part after it denotes the batch number. For example, the batch number of the first entry means 'batch 91, December 1977'. The army bought 8800 such grenades from the MKE in 1978.
The serial numbers of some of the 27 grenades found in Ümraniye are:
These grenades are registered to the Hasdal barracks in Istanbul.
Fikret Emek (26 June 2007)
The recovered materiel included 11 kg of C-3, a telescopic rifle, a Kalashnikov, a shotgun, M-16 shells, 12 grenades (10 from the MKE), smoke bombs, 12 210g TNT setups, 6 500g TNT moulds, a 1.5 kg TNT mould, a 1 kg demolition block, ignition munitions. This is sufficient to flatten a twelve-floor reinforced concrete structure, with each floor over 400 m2. The grenades have serial number TAPA M204 A2/KF-MKE-91 12-77, matching the ones from the Cumhuriyet attack.
With the help of a tip-off on 3 December 2008, the Trabzon police found nine grenades of the same batch number as those in Ümraniye. In nearby Yomra, the police seized a gun and eight 7.65 mm bullets for it, a Kalashnikov rifle and three chargers, a total of 420 7.62 mm Kalashnikov bullets and a grenade. In the city, eight grenades were found; seven hidden inside a washing machine, and another in an oven. Trabzon governor Nuri Okutan said that none of the suspects were public officials or members of the military. The serial numbers of the Trabzon grenades are:
The grenades in Ümraniye had also been found following a tip-off in Trabzon. However, the former tip-off was to the gendarmerie rather than the police.
Mustafa Dönmez (7 January 2009)
22 grenades, over 100 bullets, 1 Kalashnikov, and 4 pistols were found in Dönmez's vacation house in Sakarya
.
İbrahim Şahin (7 January 2009)
Three drawings and 9 unlicensed Glock pistols were found in the home of special forces police chief İbrahim Şahin. The drawings led to the excavation of 8000 bullets (mostly Uzi), 2 light-weight anti-tank weapons, 1 kg of plastic explosives, 10 hand grenades whose serial numbers had been removed and 10 smoke bombs. The recovered weapons were determined to be buried in July 2008 (the month generals Eruygur and Tolon were detained). They are reported to be different from the ones that were entrusted to Şahin's department and went missing after Susurluk scandal
.
Poyrazköy (April 2009)
During excavations in Poyrazköy in Beykoz
district, Istanbul that lasted from 21 to 28 April 2009 arms including 21 LAW arms, 14 hand grenades and 450 grams explosives were found. The discovery resulted in a separate court case known as the Poyrazköy case.
Erzincan (27 October 2009)
On 19 November 2009 the General Directorate for Security
informed the prosecutor's office in Erzurum
that the munition found at the Çatalarmut Dam in Erzincan Province
could be related to 30 incidents. The bombs found at Çatalarmut Dam numbered HGR DM41 SPLITTER COMP-B LOS FMP-134 were from the same series as one of the hand grenades numbered HGR DM41 SPLITTER COMP-B LOS FMP-134 used in the Şemdinli bombing. The bomb found in Çatalarmut numbered MKE MOD45 MKE-1-18 08-89 and the one thrown at Akkoyunlu Police Station in Istanbul Ümraniye on 22 November 2000 belonged to the same tag group. The same could be said for one of three hand grenades that on 30 January 2006 killed the police officer Cenk İce working in a clinic in Eşrefpaşa (Izmir). The bomb found in Çatalarmut numbered HGR DM41 SPLITTER COMP-B LOS FMP-19 belonged to the same group as the hand grenade found on 20 March 2000 in the house of the PKK militant Seyfettin Işık in Mardin province
Midyat district
. Of the five hand grenades found on 20 May 2004 during the search of a house belonging to the PKK in Adana province
İncirlik
district had the same table number as the ones found in Çatalarmut (HGR Z DM72 LOS FMP-19).
İlhan Cihaner, former prosecutor in Erzincan, who was elected deputy for the Republican People's Party (CHP)
in the election of 12 June 2011
for Denizli province
but also prime suspect in the "Erzincan-Ergenekon-trial" alleged that the six hand grenades found at the lake had been taken from an investigation he was running before his arrest. These arms presumably had been distributed to villagers after the Maraş
and Sivas massacre
by the counter-guerrilla
to be used in a civil war
.
According to police officials, "HGR DM 41" indicates German origin, SPLITTER denotes a fragmentation grenade
Fragmentation grenade
A fragmentation grenade is an anti-personnel weapon that is designed to disperse shrapnel upon exploding. The body is made of hard plastic or steel. Flechettes, notched wire, ball bearings or the case itself provide the fragments...
, "COMP-B" means composition B
Composition B
Composition B, colloquially "comp B", is an explosive consisting of castable mixtures of RDX and TNT. It is used as the main explosive filling in artillery projectiles, rockets, land mines, hand grenades, sticky bombs and various other munitions...
, "LOS" indicates European production up to NATO standards, while the number following "FMP" indicates the batch.
Chronology
- 04 December 1998: Two hand grenades were found in a house in ManisaManisa ProvinceManisa Province is a province in western Turkey. Its neighboring provinces are İzmir to the west, Aydın to the south, Denizli to the south east, Uşak to the east, Kütahya to the north east, and Balıkesir to the north...
province, AkhisarAkhisarAkhisar is a county district and its town center in Manisa Province in the Aegean region of Western Turkey...
district. - 26 February 1999: In İzmirIzmir Provinceİzmir Province is a province of Turkey in western Anatolia on the Aegean coast, whose capital is the city of İzmir. On the west it is surrounded by the Aegean sea, and it encloses the Gulf of İzmir. Its area is 11,973 km.2, population 3.948.848 . The population was 3,370,866 in 2000...
province UrlaUrlaUrla may refer to:* Urla, İzmir, a district of İzmir Province inf Turkey* Urla, Raipur - a town in Chhatisgarh, India...
district 10 hand grenades were found. - 25 March 1999: In connection with an operation against the militant Islamic organization Hezbollah in ŞırnakŞırnak ProvinceThe Şırnak Province is a Turkish province in southeastern Anatolia. It has a population of 430,109 . The population was 353,197 in 2000....
41 people were arrested and of six hand grenades one was linked to the Ergenekon investigation. - 26 May 1999: A hand grenade was thrown into the office of Nucu Portase in Trabzon provinceTrabzon ProvinceTrabzon Province is a province of Turkey on the Black Sea coast. Located in a strategically important region, Trabzon is one of the oldest trade port cities in Anatolia. Neighbouring provinces are Giresun to the west, Gümüşhane to the southwest, Bayburt to the southeast and Rize to the east. The...
Of district. - 30 December 2000: In İzmir province, KarşıyakaKarsiyakaKarşıyaka is a district of İzmir Province in Turkey. It is part of the Greater Metropolitan Area of İzmir, in other words a metropolitan district, the second largest after Konak in terms of population, and it is almost entirely urbanized at the rate of 99,9 per cent, with corresponding high levels...
district a defence hand grenade was found. - 29 July 2001: In Antalya provinceAntalya ProvinceAntalya Province is located on the Mediterranean coast of south-west Turkey, between the Taurus Mountains and the Mediterranean sea.Antalya Province is the centre of Turkey's tourism industry, attracting 30% of foreign tourists visiting Turkey. The province of Antalya corresponds to the lands of...
Alanya districtAlanyaAlanya , formerly Alaiye, is a beach resort city and a component district of Antalya Province in the Mediterranean Region of Turkey, from the city of Antalya. On the southern coast of Turkey, the district has an area of 1,598.51 km2 and 248,286 inhabitants...
three hand grenades were found in a hotel. - 11 August 2001: In the centre of HatayHatayHatay refers to the following places in Turkey:* Hatay Province, Turkey* Republic of Hatay, between 1938–1939.* Hatay, İzmir, Turkey, a district of İzmir...
a hand grenade was thrown at the car of Hayrettin Yavuz. - 29 July 2002: A hand grenade was found in a dustbin in KütahyaKütahyaKütahya is a city in western Turkey with 212,444 inhabitants , lying on the Porsuk river, at 969 metres above sea level. It is the capital of Kütahya Province, inhabited by some 517 804 people...
. - 27 February 2003: A hand grenade was found near the Eyüp Lyceum in İstanbul provinceIstanbul ProvinceIstanbul Province is a province located in north-west Turkey. It has an area of 5,196 km² and a population of 13,255,685. The population was 10,018,735 in 2000. It is surrounded by the provinces of Tekirdağ to the west, Kocaeli to the east, the Black Sea to the northern part and the Sea of...
Eyüp districtEyüp-External links:* * * * *...
. - 18 May 2003: In the garden of Kerem Adıgüzel in Amasya provinceAmasya ProvinceAmasya Province is a province of Turkey, situated on the Yeşil River in the Black Sea Region to the north of the country. Area 5,520 km². Population 334,786....
Merzifon districtMerzifonMerzifon is a town and district in Amasya Province in the central Black Sea region of Turkey. It covers an area of 970 km², and the population is 69,237 of which 52,947 live in the town of Merzifon, the remainder spread throughout the surrounding countryside...
a hand grenade of MKE exploded. - 25 November 2003: Hand grenades were found in the fields in Ağrı provinceAgri ProvinceThe Ağrı Province is a province in eastern Turkey, bordering Iran to the east, Kars to the North, Erzurum to the Northwest, Muş and Bitlis to the Southwest, Van to the south, and Iğdır to the northeast. Area 11,376 km². Population 542,022 ....
Patnos districtPatnosPatnos is a district of Ağrı Province of Turkey on a plain surrounded by high mountains including Süphan, watered by tributaries of the Murat River. 82 km south of the city of Ağrı on the road to Van...
that had not exploded although the pins had been pulled. - 09 May 2005: Two hand grenades were found on Serkan Şahin and Abdurrahman Dağ in Kırıkkale provinceKirikkale ProvinceKırıkkale Province is a province of Turkey. It is located on the crossroads of major highways east of Ankara leading east to the Black Sea region. With its rapid population growth it has become an industrial center. The provincial capital is Kırıkkale....
Keskin districtKeskinKeskin is a town and district of Kırıkkale Province in the Central Anatolia region of Turkey. According to 2000 census, population of the district is 59,150 of which 34,827 live in the town of Keskin.-External links:*...
. - 10 May 2006: A hand grenade thrown at the newspaper CumhuriyetCumhuriyetCumhuriyet is a centre-left Turkish daily newspaper, founded on May 7, 1924 by journalist Yunus Nadi Abalıoğlu. Based in Istanbul, it has been situated since October 17, 2005 in Mecidiyeköy. Cumhuriyet was the last newspaper to leave the old press district Cağaloğlu...
in İstanbul ŞişliSisliŞişli is one of 39 districts of Istanbul, Turkey. Located on the European side of the city, it is bordered by Beşiktaş to the east, Sarıyer to the north, Eyüp and Kağıthane to the west, and Beyoğlu to the south...
. - 02 October 2006: In İzmir Konak districtKonakKonak can refer to:* Konak , a large house, a mansion in Turkey, possibly also fulfilling administrative functions, such as a governor's mansion* Konak, İzmir, a district of İzmir Province, Turkey, central district of İzmir metropolitan area...
one of two hand grenades thrown into a coffee shop in Alsancak, killing İbrahim Çiftçi and injuring two persons reportedly relates to the Ergenekon investigation. - 30 November 2006: In İstanbul Tuzla districtTuzlaTuzla is a city and municipality in Bosnia and Herzegovina. At the time of the 1991 census, it had 83,770 inhabitants, while the municipality 131,318. Taking the influx of refugees into account, the city is currently estimated to have 174,558 inhabitants...
a hand grenade of MKE brand was found. - 11 December 2006: In the hotel "Iğdır Doğu" one MKE brand hand grenade was found.
Incidents
Akhisar and EyüpOne of the two grenades recovered in Akhisar
Akhisar
Akhisar is a county district and its town center in Manisa Province in the Aegean region of Western Turkey...
, Manisa had the serial number HGR DM 41 SPLITTER COMP-B LOS FMP 24. Another grenade from Eyüp
Eyüp
-External links:* * * * *...
, İstanbul had the serial number HGR DM 41 COMP-B LOS FMR-24.
Urla, İzmir (1999)
One of the ten grenades had the serial number HGR DM 41 SPLITTER COMP-B LOS FMP 16.
Şemdinli (2005)
Two grenades used in the Şemdinli
Semdinli
Şemdinli is a district located in the Hakkari Province of southeastern Turkey.The population is 11,211 as of 2010.It was previously in the Ottoman vilayet of Van and the district centre was called Nevşehir...
incident on 9 November 2005 were found to bear the serial number HGR DM 41 SPLITTER COMP-B LOS FMP 134.
Cumhuriyet (2006)
Alparslan bombed the offices of the newspaper Cumhuriyet in May 2006. The grenades did not go off in his first two attempts; he succeeded on his third. The NATO standard, Makine ve Kimya Endüstrisi Kurumu (MKE) model 44 grenades had the following serial numbers:
- TAPA M 204 A 2/KF-MKE-91 12-77 (5 May 2006)
- TAPA M 204 A 2/KF-MKE-173 9-85 (10 May 2006)
- TAPA M 204 A 2/KF-MKE-91 12-77 (11 May 2006)
The part before the slash denotes the fuse type, while the part after it denotes the batch number. For example, the batch number of the first entry means 'batch 91, December 1977'. The army bought 8800 such grenades from the MKE in 1978.
Discoveries in 2007
Ümraniye, İstanbul (12 June 2007)The serial numbers of some of the 27 grenades found in Ümraniye are:
- HGR DM 41 SPLITTER COMP-B LOS FMP 16
- HGR DM 41 SPLITTER COMP-B LOS FMP 24
- HGR DM 41 SPLITTER COMP-B LOS FMP 22
- TAPA M 204 A2/KF-MKE-169 5-85
These grenades are registered to the Hasdal barracks in Istanbul.
Fikret Emek (26 June 2007)
The recovered materiel included 11 kg of C-3, a telescopic rifle, a Kalashnikov, a shotgun, M-16 shells, 12 grenades (10 from the MKE), smoke bombs, 12 210g TNT setups, 6 500g TNT moulds, a 1.5 kg TNT mould, a 1 kg demolition block, ignition munitions. This is sufficient to flatten a twelve-floor reinforced concrete structure, with each floor over 400 m2. The grenades have serial number TAPA M204 A2/KF-MKE-91 12-77, matching the ones from the Cumhuriyet attack.
Discoveries after 2007
Trabzon (13 December 2008)With the help of a tip-off on 3 December 2008, the Trabzon police found nine grenades of the same batch number as those in Ümraniye. In nearby Yomra, the police seized a gun and eight 7.65 mm bullets for it, a Kalashnikov rifle and three chargers, a total of 420 7.62 mm Kalashnikov bullets and a grenade. In the city, eight grenades were found; seven hidden inside a washing machine, and another in an oven. Trabzon governor Nuri Okutan said that none of the suspects were public officials or members of the military. The serial numbers of the Trabzon grenades are:
- HGR DM 41 SPLITTER COMP-B LOS FMP 143
- HGR DM 41 SPLITTER COMP-B LOS FMP 197
- HGR DM 41 SPLITTER COMP-B LOS FMP 125
The grenades in Ümraniye had also been found following a tip-off in Trabzon. However, the former tip-off was to the gendarmerie rather than the police.
Mustafa Dönmez (7 January 2009)
22 grenades, over 100 bullets, 1 Kalashnikov, and 4 pistols were found in Dönmez's vacation house in Sakarya
Adapazari
Adapazarı is a city in northwestern Turkey and the capital of Sakarya Province. The province itself was originally named Adapazarı as well. Adapazarı is a part of the densely populated region of the country, known as the Marmara Region. As of 2010, the city has a population of 560,876 ...
.
İbrahim Şahin (7 January 2009)
Three drawings and 9 unlicensed Glock pistols were found in the home of special forces police chief İbrahim Şahin. The drawings led to the excavation of 8000 bullets (mostly Uzi), 2 light-weight anti-tank weapons, 1 kg of plastic explosives, 10 hand grenades whose serial numbers had been removed and 10 smoke bombs. The recovered weapons were determined to be buried in July 2008 (the month generals Eruygur and Tolon were detained). They are reported to be different from the ones that were entrusted to Şahin's department and went missing after Susurluk scandal
Susurluk scandal
The Susurluk scandal was a scandal involving the close relationship between the Turkish government, the armed forces, and organized crime. It took place during the peak of the Turkey–Kurdistan Workers' Party conflict, in the mid-1990s...
.
Poyrazköy (April 2009)
During excavations in Poyrazköy in Beykoz
Beykoz
Beykoz is a district in the suburbs of Istanbul, Turkey at the northern end of the Bosphorus on the Anatolian side. Beykoz includes everything from the streams of Küçüksu and Göksu up to the opening of the Bosphorus into the Black Sea, and the villages in the hinterland as far as the river of Riva...
district, Istanbul that lasted from 21 to 28 April 2009 arms including 21 LAW arms, 14 hand grenades and 450 grams explosives were found. The discovery resulted in a separate court case known as the Poyrazköy case.
Erzincan (27 October 2009)
On 19 November 2009 the General Directorate for Security
General Directorate of Security
The General Directorate of Security are the civilian police force responsible for law enforcement in Turkey.-Structure:In the provinces, it operates under the command of governors and district governors . Civil administrators are responsible for the security and wellbeing of towns and districts...
informed the prosecutor's office in Erzurum
Erzurum
Erzurum is a city in Turkey. It is the largest city, the capital of Erzurum Province. The city is situated 1757 meters above sea level. Erzurum had a population of 361,235 in the 2000 census. .Erzurum, known as "The Rock" in NATO code, served as NATO's southeastern-most air force post during the...
that the munition found at the Çatalarmut Dam in Erzincan Province
Erzincan Province
Erzincan Province is a province in the eastern region of Anatolia, Turkey, and home to Erzincan, a city which was destroyed and rebuilt after an earthquake of magnitude 7.9 on December 27, 1939...
could be related to 30 incidents. The bombs found at Çatalarmut Dam numbered HGR DM41 SPLITTER COMP-B LOS FMP-134 were from the same series as one of the hand grenades numbered HGR DM41 SPLITTER COMP-B LOS FMP-134 used in the Şemdinli bombing. The bomb found in Çatalarmut numbered MKE MOD45 MKE-1-18 08-89 and the one thrown at Akkoyunlu Police Station in Istanbul Ümraniye on 22 November 2000 belonged to the same tag group. The same could be said for one of three hand grenades that on 30 January 2006 killed the police officer Cenk İce working in a clinic in Eşrefpaşa (Izmir). The bomb found in Çatalarmut numbered HGR DM41 SPLITTER COMP-B LOS FMP-19 belonged to the same group as the hand grenade found on 20 March 2000 in the house of the PKK militant Seyfettin Işık in Mardin province
Mardin Province
Mardin Province is a province of Turkey with a population of 744,606. The population was 835,173 in 2000. The capital of the Mardin Province is Mardin...
Midyat district
Midyat
Midyat is an originally Assyrian/Syriac town in Mardin Province of Turkey. The ancient city is the epicenter of a centuries-old Assyrian/Syriac enclave in Southeast-Turkey, widely familiar under its Syriac name Tur Abdin. A cognate of the name Midyat is first encountered in an inscription of the...
. Of the five hand grenades found on 20 May 2004 during the search of a house belonging to the PKK in Adana province
Adana Province
Adana Province is a province of Turkey located in south-central Anatolia. With a population of 2,085,225, it is the fifth most populous province in Turkey. The administrative seat of the province is the city of Adana, home to 78% of the residents of the province...
İncirlik
Incirlik
İncirlik is a town in the Sarıçam district of Adana Province with a population of 11,555. Formerly a municipality, it was incorporated into Sarıçam Municipality in 2008...
district had the same table number as the ones found in Çatalarmut (HGR Z DM72 LOS FMP-19).
İlhan Cihaner, former prosecutor in Erzincan, who was elected deputy for the Republican People's Party (CHP)
Republican People's Party (Turkey)
The Republican People's Party is a centre-left Kemalist political party in Turkey. It is the oldest political party of Turkey and is currently Main Opposition in the Grand National Assembly. The Republican People's Party describes itself as "a modern social-democratic party, which is faithful to...
in the election of 12 June 2011
Turkish general election, 2011
Turkey's 17th general election was held on 12 June 2011 to elect 550 new members of Grand National Assembly. They were Turkey's first non-early elections in 34 years.-Background:...
for Denizli province
Denizli Province
Denizli Province is a province of Turkey in Western Anatolia, on high ground above the Aegean coast. Neighbouring provinces are Uşak to the north, Burdur, Isparta, Afyon to the east, Aydın, Manisa to the west and Muğla to the south. It is located between the coordinates 28° 30’ and 29° 30’ E and...
but also prime suspect in the "Erzincan-Ergenekon-trial" alleged that the six hand grenades found at the lake had been taken from an investigation he was running before his arrest. These arms presumably had been distributed to villagers after the Maraş
Maraş Massacre
The Maraş Massacre or Kahramanmaraş Massacre of December 1978 was the massacre of more than hundred civilians, mostly Alevis, a minority Muslim group in Turkey. The prime perpetrators were Greywolves...
and Sivas massacre
Sivas massacre
The Sivas massacre refers to the events of July 2, 1993 which resulted in the deaths of 37 people, mostly Alevi intellectuals, and two hotel employees. Two people from the mob were also dead...
by the counter-guerrilla
Counter-Guerrilla
Counter-Guerrilla is the Turkish branch of Operation Gladio, a clandestine stay-behind anti-communist initiative backed by the United States as an expression of the Truman Doctrine. The founding goal of the operation was to erect a guerrilla force capable of countering a possible Soviet invasion...
to be used in a civil war
Civil war
A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same nation state or republic, or, less commonly, between two countries created from a formerly-united nation state....
.
External links
- Sahi toprak altından çıkan silahlar kimin? (Turkish) "Who owes the arms found under the earth?" İsmail Saymaz in Ekotrent of 26 April 2009
- Gareth Jenkins THIRD ERGENEKON INDICTMENT REINFORCES CONCERNS ABOUT TURKISH JUDICIAL SYSTEM in Turkey Analyst, vol. 2 no. 17 of 28 September 2009
See also
- "Sledgehammer" plot
- Sarıkız, Ayışığı, Yakamoz and EldivenSarıkız, Ayışığı, Yakamoz and EldivenSarıkız , Ayışığı , Yakamoz , Eldiven is the name of alleged Turkish military coup plans in 2004.- Plans :...
- Ergenekon (organization)