A divorce dispute in Istanbul has turned into a terrorism investigation after a man said he found documents, photographs and handwritten notes allegedly linking his wife to the Gülenist Terror Group (FETÖ), according to a report by Sabah newspaper.
M.D., 36, who married Sibel D., 33, in 2024, told authorities he discovered the materials while organizing his wife’s dowry boxes after the couple’s brief marriage began to break down.
According to the complaint filed with the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office, the boxes contained diaries, photographs and alleged organizational correspondence. M.D. claimed the handwritten notes referred to Sibel D.’s position within the group, meetings with senior figures and career-related plans.
Investigators said some of the people seen in the photographs were either fugitives or previously identified in FETÖ-related investigations.
Authorities also found that several individuals had been subject to legal action in different provinces, while one person was listed as a fugitive.
The report said Sibel D. was alleged to have served as a “regional student supervisor,” responsible for 43 students, and to have maintained contact with a “trustee board.” One letter reportedly ended with a note instructing the recipient to destroy it after reading.
Counterterrorism teams reviewed the documents submitted by M.D., while the Van Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office launched a broader investigation into Sibel D., whose name was also allegedly found in a ByLock database, according to the report.
M.D. told Sabah that his home had been used “like a logistics center for a terrorist group.”
The case later widened into family-related criminal allegations. M.D. accused his wife’s relatives of raiding his home and stealing jewelry after he decided to divorce.
The FETÖ investigation and divorce case remain ongoing.