Süleyman Soylu warns Turkey's threats are external and fears repeat of 15 July coup
Former interior minister Süleyman Soylu told a Gazi University student program that Turkey cannot have an internal security threat; all dangers, he said, come from outside the country. He emphasized that "the whole bundle of events in Turkey originates abroad".
Soylu expressed personal anxiety about a repeat of the 15 July 2016 coup attempt, saying he feared a similar uprising, stayed up until three in the morning, and could not sleep while contemplating the risk.
He also criticised social media, calling it a "vassal mechanism" that makes societies and states dependent on its algorithms, and highlighted Turkey’s cultural heritage – citing Ahmet Yesevi, Hacı Bektaş, Mevlana, Köroğlu and Yunus Emre – as a source of resilience against external pressure.
Entities: Gazi University · Süleyman Soylu · Turkey
Claims
What the coverage asserts, and how well corroborated each claim is across sources.
- [● 3 SOURCES] Soylu described social media as a 'vassal mechanism' that makes societies dependent. (Süleyman Soylu)
- [● 3 SOURCES] Soylu stayed up until 3 a.m. worrying about a possible repeat of the coup. (Süleyman Soylu)
- [● 3 SOURCES] Soylu participated in Gazi University’s Fidecast program hosted by Mehmet Fatih Güleç. (Süleyman Soylu)
- [● 3 SOURCES] Soylu cited Turkey’s cultural heritage (Ahmet Yesevi, Hacı Bektaş, Mevlana, Köroğlu, Yunus Emre) as a source of strength against external threats. (Süleyman Soylu)
- [● 3 SOURCES] Soylu feared a repeat of the 15 July 2016 coup attempt. (Süleyman Soylu)
- [● 3 SOURCES] Turkey cannot have an internal security threat; all threats are external. (Süleyman Soylu)