A former Turkish army aviation colonel who flew then-chief of General Staff Gen. Hulusi Akar from a military air base near Ankara to the prime ministry after Turkey’s July 15, 2016 coup attempt told a court that Akar said, “We acted early, we should have waited. We are disgraced,” and that he saw no cut on Akar’s throat when the general boarded the helicopter.
Former Col. Uğur Kapan made the statement during a hearing at the Ankara 17th High Criminal Court in the trial concerning events at the Army Aviation Command, where helicopters took off during the attempted takeover. The case involved 155 defendants, including 152 soldiers and three civilians.
Kapan’s testimony drew attention because it appeared to conflict with Akar’s account of being forcibly taken to Akıncı Air Base, a military facility near Ankara that prosecutors described as one of the main command sites of the coup attempt.
Akar has said he was abducted from military headquarters, taken to the base by force and choked with a belt. When he later appeared beside Prime Minister Binali Yıldırım, he repeatedly raised his head, making a visible mark on his throat apparent to cameras.
Kapan told the court that Akar had no visible cut or sign of injury on his throat when he got into the helicopter.
He also said Maj. Gen. Mehmet Dişli, one of the key defendants in coup-attempt cases, boarded the helicopter with Akar’s permission.
Kapan’s most striking claim was that Akar spoke to him in a way that suggested regret over timing rather than the language of a hostage.
“Akar said, ‘We acted early, we should have waited. We are disgraced,’” Kapan told the court.
According to courtroom reporting, the remark caused a sudden silence in the hearing room.
Kapan also said he had been subjected to torture in police custody and that earlier statements attributed to him had been taken under pressure. He recanted a previous statement saying he had seen Adil Öksüz, whom prosecutors describe as a key civilian figure in the coup attempt, at the air base.
The testimony added to questions raised by defendants and defense lawyers about Akar’s conduct before and during the coup attempt, including whether he was a captive throughout the night, what orders he gave and why senior commanders’ statements contain apparent inconsistencies.
Dişli was later questioned about Kapan’s claim. He said he did not hear any conversation between Akar and the pilot and did not witness Akar making the alleged remark.
The dispute is significant because Akar is central to the official account of the attempted takeover. Prosecutors portray him as a victim who resisted the coup, while several defendants have argued that his actions and statements should be examined more closely in court.
Ankara blames the coup attempt on the Gülen movement, a transnational civic initiative inspired by Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen, and designates the movement as a terrorist organization. The movement denies involvement in the coup attempt or any terrorist activity.
