A Turkish court on Wednesday jailed a former judge, who had released key Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO) suspect Adil Oksuz, a judicial source said.

The 21st Heavy Penal Court in the capital Ankara gave jail terms of eight years and nine months to Cetin Sonmez for being a member of an armed terrorist group, said the source, who asked not to be named due to restrictions on speaking to the media.

Sonmez had released Oksuz, a key suspect in the 2016 coup attempt, after he was arrested near Akinci air force base in Ankara on July 16.

Later, Oksuz disappeared and witnesses say he fled the country and spent some time in Germany.

The theology professor is alleged to be the “imam” of FETO members in the air force and was a key link between U.S.-based FETO leader Fetullah Gulen and coup plotters in Turkey.

Oksuz is accused of masterminding the defeated coup of July 15, 2016 in Turkey — which martyred 251 people and injured some 2,200.

Ankara also accuses FETO of being behind a long-running campaign to overthrow the state through the infiltration of Turkish institutions, particularly the military, police, and judiciary.

Source: Anadolu