Double Blindside

Makar had decided to go into business for himself by cheating Özgürlük out of millions of dollars. To add to Hakan Kaplan’s problems, two of his trusted lieutenants had also joined forces with Makar to work a deal that would give them the chance to fleece the organization out of even more money.

Kaplan’s betrayal by Egemen Binice and Bora Terzel had been a bitter blow. He had championed the pair since they had first joined the organization, not realizing their enthusiasm and dedication to Özgürlük had been false from the start.

Binice and Terzel were cousins. In their late twenties, they were minor criminals, having spent most of their teen years committing small crimes for little reward. They considered themselves smart, a cut above the lower Turkish criminal element, and they possessed sharp minds always on the lookout for a chance to make a score. Unfortunately they always seemed to miss the best opportunities.

Until they’d learned about Özgürlük. A drinking friend, himself on the criminal fringe, had made mention of the organization in passing. Binice and Terzel had listened to what he’d had to say, and when they were on their own again, decided it was worth looking into.

They’d picked up on one of the public meetings in the city, went along and afterward made contact with the man they soon found out to be Hakan Kaplan.

Now, one of the many talents the cousins possessed was the ability to be extremely persuasive and willing to commit to a cause. They’d learned about Özgürlük and its aims, though at that stage they were not privy to the underlying intentions of the group. They were willing and eager recruits, listening to the party line and proving themselves by performing the tasks offered to them. Over a few months the cousins had insinuated themselves deeper into Özgürlük.

Anyone who had come in contact with them and listened to their talk had been convinced of their usefulness to the organization.

Whenever they were in the presence of Özgürlük’s people higher up the ladder, they performed as expected, and because they showed their compliance with the policy, their involvement became deeper.

While Binice and Terzel professed commitment to Özgürlük, they were, in truth, simply looking for opportunities to make money.

It hadn’t taken them long to see how Özgürlük put cash out to anyone who showed genuine interest. They’d realized the organization was pretty well loaded. The top man, Kadir Polat, had money in spades, to say nothing of the money being donated by sympathizers. It hadn’t taken the pair long to learn about the man, his business holdings that raked in millions, his property, cars and planes—even a luxury cruiser he used like a floating HQ.

While maintaining an interest in the organization, the pair had been gathering intelligence, watching and listening at every opportunity. Hakan Kaplan had taken a liking to the young recruits and had offered them more and more responsibility as the weeks went by.

They’d been assigned to Polat’s cruiser on a number of occasions. Their duties consisted of making sure guests were supplied with food and drink, and keeping things running smoothly. Their service offered them a chance to pick up snippets of information as drink often loosened mouths and they learned valuable details.

It was about this time that Hakan Kaplan, convinced the pair was genuinely part of Özgürlük, had taken them aside and, in the presence of Polat, filled them in on the organization’s long-term plan. Not to simply create unrest and agitation, but to do something that would throw the country into confusion and, as the main thrust of the plot, to damage the American presence in Turkey.

Their indoctrination took a couple of weeks and Binice and Terzel, realizing it was becoming deeply involving, had upped their act and made it clear they were on board.

When Kaplan had eventually broached the real reason, despite their act, Binice and Terzel were almost caught off guard.

Polat and Kaplan were proposing to blackmail the Americans by threatening to detonate nuclear devices. One at Incirlik. The other to be transported to America.

After the revelation, Binice and Terzel had readily endorsed and volunteered any and all assistance; they had realized an opportunity presented itself. Hakan Kaplan, by this time convinced of their loyalty to Özgürlük, had enlisted their help in taking control of the nuclear devices being delivered by the Russian, Gennadi Antonov.

This encounter had brought them into contact with Aziz Makar, the moneyman, and the pair, spotting the man’s discontent at having to handle so much money, quickly moved in.

Makar might have been in charge of the Özgürlük finances, but he was not personally wealthy. His skill with money had brought him little for himself. Binice and Terzel had spent their lives assessing and playing other people’s emotions. And that was how they’d manipulated Aziz Makar.

Their persuasive manner had drawn him in. He’d worked a few small withdrawals, and his new partners had taken it and used it to feed a new account, well out of the reach of Özgürlük. The ease of the operation encouraged Makar and he’d devised other ways to move and lose donated amounts. With each success Makar began to increase the amounts. Polat and Kaplan were so involved in the main operation they had little time, or opportunity, to be aware of what was happening. Money was coming in and going out on a daily basis, and only Makar, safe in his London office, had any real grasp of how things were. The thousands became hundreds of thousands and then Makar, flushed by his success, had made his major error when he’d earmarked a couple of million for siphoning.

Unbeknown to the duplicitous trio, their scheme to take Özgürlük’s money had been discovered and the information passed on to Hakan Kaplan.

Kaplan had initially refused to accept the news, but his source was impeccable. A bank teller loyal to Özgürlük had discovered the cash movements and checked it out. When the discovery was verified, Kaplan was informed. The bank official initiated a full trace and the extent of the theft was revealed. The trail led to accounts opened by Binice, Terzel and Makar. Following disbelief and embarrassment that he had been taken in by the three men, Kaplan had the information kept quiet so he could deal with the three. Loyalty to the cause had taken a backseat, smothered by deceit and pure greed. Ignoring the reason behind Özgürlük’s existence, the trio had given in to their base emotions.

Having been put in the picture, Kaplan took control and made the decision that the traitors would not be allowed to escape. He set in motion the means by which he would exact his revenge.

Revenge. Retribution. It had to be done. Betrayal required closure. Allow people to steal from you and it diminished your standing. The scales had to be balanced. With all that was going on, Özgürlük’s reputation needed to be put on firm ground—and allowing a pair of petty crooks to sully that reputation was unthinkable.

* * *

KAPLAN HAD MET Tak Kumad in a busy Istanbul café. They’d sat at a table, outside, the sun high overhead. They could have been any Turkish customers, drinking small cups of aromatic coffee and discussing anything.

But they were discussing something far deadlier than the price of food or the results of the international football match that had taken place the previous night.

They were arranging how Binice and Terzel would pay for their treachery. The moneyman, Makar, would be dealt with as a separate matter.

“This must be painful for them before the final bullet,” Kaplan said. “I am not normally a vengeful man, but those two have manipulated me. Made me look a fool. So my heart seeks a way to make them suffer.”

“As God looks down on me, I promise you suffering for them both,” Kumad, the assassin, said. “By the end they will welcome my final bullet.”

“Should I ask how you will achieve this?”

“Do you recall Alexander Litvinenko? Former Russian SSB officer. He left Russia to avoid being prosecuted for his stand against the Russian Secret Service. He was given asylum in the UK and continued as a journalist writing about the behavior of the Russians. He wrote books condemning their actions. He became ill in November 2006 and died three weeks later. It was confirmed later that he had died from being poisoned by polonium-210. A very lethal radioactive compound. Most likely put in his tea. It is undetectable in that condition, but works very well on the immune system, or so I have been told.”

“Is this what you would propose for our friends?”

“I have been able to obtain some. Only a small amount,” Kumad said. “That is all it will take.”

Kaplan thought it an ideal way to repay Binice and Terzel.

“They would not die immediately?”

Kumad smiled. “No. The full effects would run over a few weeks. But initially they would become extremely ill. Skin affected. Loss of hair. General lassitude.”

“How would you give it to them?” Kaplan asked, his interest piqued.

“In a similar fashion,” Kumad said. “I have spoken to a friend in the business and he has instructed me how to do this.” He smiled at the thought. “A very smart man who has been in the business for a long time.”

“And has he used this polonium-210 himself?”

Kumad nodded. “Oh, yes.”

When Kaplan picked up his coffee again he hesitated. “It would be as simple as putting it in a cup like this?”

“Don’t be concerned. I did not bring a sample with me.”

“I want this done quickly.”

“Then all I need from you is a timetable of where Binice and Terzel can be found. Once I have that, I can make my arrangements.”

They concluded their meeting after finance details were completed.

Kaplan felt satisfied. He had cleared the way for a matter of honor, Turkish-style, to be carried out. With Binice and Terzel dealt with, the episode could be forgotten and he could concentrate on the Özgürlük campaign.

* * *

TEN DAYS LATER Kumad received a call from Kaplan.

“It has been reported to me that Makar is becoming a nervous man,” Kaplan said. “I believe he may be regretting his involvement with Binice and Terzel. Remember he knows a great deal about Özgürlük. As banker he has been responsible for moving around money. Most important, the payment for the devices from the Russian. We cannot risk anything going wrong at this stage. It’s time he was retired. Better that way than risk additional problems. Deal with him but make sure you bring his computer back with you. Understood? Above everything, that computer must be returned into our safekeeping.”