3 Mongolians employed at Turkish Embassy under investigation

Three Mongolian nationals working at the Turkish Embassy in Ulaanbaatar are under investigation in connection to the abduction attempt of Turkish national Veysel Akcay, 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 on Friday after a witness saw five assailants subdue Akcay outside his apartment and load him into a minivan. Akcay worked as the general director of Empathy Worldwide Educational Institution, a network of international schools linked to the Gulen movement. This link with the Gulen movement is thought to be the reason why Akcay was targeted.

Having lived in Mongolia for the past 25 years, Akcay is associated with the network of Muslim Cleric Fethullah Gulen, currently exiled in the US, whom Turkish authorities blame for the failed coup attempt in 2016. The aborted coup in Turkey in July 2016 was blamed by authorities on the Gulenist 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 indicate 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 Akcay was premeditated, evidenced by the air force jet that was waiting at Chinggis Khan International Airport. There have been no reports on whether Veysel Akcay broke any laws in Mongolia and his residency permit was set to expire on October 2019. Therefore, the working theory currently is that the Turkish authorities wanted to detain Akcay and sought the help of several agents in the intelligence community, as well as other Mongolian nationals.

...Analysis suggests that the plan to informally extradite Akcay was premeditated, evidenced by the air force jet that was waiting at Chinggis Khan International Airport...