Ergenekon (organization)

Ergenekon (Turkish: [ˌæɾɟeneˈkon]) was the name given to an alleged clandestine, secular ultra-nationalist^{[1][better source needed]} organization in Turkey with possible ties to members of the country's military and security forces.^{[2][better source needed]} The would-be group, named after Ergenekon, a mythical place located in the inaccessible valleys of the Altay Mountains, was accused of terrorism in Turkey.^[3]

Some believed Ergenekon was part of the "deep state".^[4] The existence of the "deep state" was affirmed in Turkish opinion after the Susurluk scandal in 1996.^[5] Alleged members had been indicted on charges of plotting to foment unrest, among other things by assassinating intellectuals, politicians, judges, military staff, and religious leaders, with the ultimate goal of toppling the incumbent government.^[6][7]

Ergenekon's modus operandi had been compared to Operation Gladio's Turkish branch, the Counter-Guerrilla.^[8][9] By April 2011, over 500 people had been taken into custody and nearly 300 formally charged with membership in what prosecutors described as "the Ergenekon terrorist organization", which they claimed had been responsible for virtually every act of political violence—and controlled every militant group—in Turkey over the last 30 years.^[10]

As of 2015 most of those accused of such crimes have been acquitted, forensic experts concluded the documents for supposed plots were fake^[11] and some of the executors of trials proved to be linked to the Gülen Movement and were charged with plotting against the Turkish Army.^[12]