Mongolian Rendition: The Plot Sickens

//Ed. Note: as promised, TNT is reporting from Ulan Bator,
Mongolia, this week.//

The UB Post, 3 August 2018

Mongolian Rendition click here for previous TNT reporting.





By B. Chintushig

Three Mongolian nationals working at the Turkish Embassy in
Ulaanbaatar are under investigation in connection to the abduction
of Turkish national Veysel Akçay, according to police sources.
The Organized Crime Division of the Criminal Police Department
immediately opened an investigation into the matter in conjunction
with several other agencies and police departments.

Last week on Friday, a Turkish air force jet was barred from leaving
after a witness saw five assailants subdue Akçay outside his apartment
and load him into a minivan.  Akçay worked as the general director
of Empathy Worldwide Educational Institution, a network of
international schools linked to the Gülen movement.  The link with
the Gülen movement is thought to be the reason why Akçay was
targeted.



Having lived in Mongolia for the past 25 years, Akçay is associated
with the network of Muslim Cleric Fethullah Gülen, currently
exiled in the USA, who Turkish authorities blame for the failed coup
attempt in 2016.  The aborted coup in Turkey in July 2016 was
blamed by authorities on the Gülenist movement, a group considered
a terrorist organization by Turkey.

The three embassy officials have not been detained but have been
warned not to leave the country while the investigation is ongoing.
In addition, several sources have said that the police will likely
investigate "multiple people working in the intelligence community."
Reports indicated that there is a possibility that the police
investigation will look into whether officers in the intelligence
community spied on police officers and journalists following the
controversy.

Analysis suggests that the plan to informally extradite Akçay was
premeditated, evidened by the air force jet that was waiting at
Chinggis Khan International Airport.  There have been no reports
on whether Veysel Akçay broke any laws in Mongolia and his
residency permit was set to expire in October 2019.  Therefore,
the working theory currently is that the Turkish authorities wanted
to detain Akçay and sought the help of several agents in the
Mongolian intelligence community, as well as other Mongolian
nationals.