Incident Summary:

07/16/2016: Assailants abducted a Turkish Air Force Commander from an unknown location in Turkey. The commander, identified as Abidin Unal, was released shortly after the abduction. This was one of 20 coordinated attacks carried out in Turkey overnight. The Peace at Home Council claimed responsibility for the incident and stated that individuals who "have betrayed the country" would stand trial. The Turkish government claimed that Fethullah Gülen (in exile) and the "Fetullah Terrorist Organization" were behind the attempted coup, leading to the arrest of tens of thousands of alleged Gülen supporters. Gülen denied involvement and denounced military intervention.

GTD ID:
201607160050

When:
2016-07-16

Country:
Turkey

Region:
Middle East & North Africa

Province/administrative
region/u.s. state:

Unknown

City:
Unknown

Attack Information
Type of Attack (more) Hostage Taking (Kidnapping)
Successful Attack? (more) Yes
Target Information (more)
Target Type: Military
Name of Entity Turkish Air Forces
Specific Description Commander: Abidin Unal
Nationality of Target Turkey
Additional Information
Hostages Yes
Number of Hostages 1
US Hostages 0
Outcome Hostage(s) released by perpetrators
Ransom No
Property Damage No
Weapon Information
Type Sub-type
Unknown
Additional Information
Suicide Attack?No
Part of Multiple Incident?Yes
Criterion 1 (more) Yes
Criterion 2 (more) Yes
Criterion 3 (more) No
Doubt Terrorism Proper (more) Yes
Alternate Designation (more) Insurgency/Guerilla Action
Additional Information This incident occurred within the context of an attempted coup. This incident is part of a set of coordinated attacks in which both military and non-military entities were targeted.
Perpetrator Group Information
Group Name Claimed Responsibility
Peace at Home Council Yes (Confirmed: Unknown; Mode: Posted to website, blog, etc.)
Perpetrator Statistics
Number of Perpetrators Unknown
Number of Captured Perpetrators 0
Casualty Information
Total Number of Casualties 0 Fatalities / 0 Injured
Total Number of Fatalities 0
Number of U.S. Fatalities 0
Number of Perpetrator Fatalities 0
Total Number of Injured 0
Number of U.S. Injured 0
Number of Perpetrators Injured 0
Sources
"Policeman wounded in July 15 bombing succumbs to injuries," Anadolu Ajansi, July 31, 2016.
"BRIEF: Commander of Turkish Air Force released during special operation," Trend News Agency (Baku, Azerbaijan), July 16, 2016.
"Coup attempt falters in Turkey -- dozens killed -- president declares 'act of treason'," Business Insider, July 15, 2016.