The founder of the Suleymancilar community is Suleyman Hilmi Tunahan, who was born in the Bulgarian town of Silistra (on the Danube) in 1888. The name of the community means “followers of Suleyman Efendi.” It has been known since 1951.

The current leader, Alihan Kuriş, is the maternal grandson of Suleyman Hilmi Tunahan, according to the website Mediascope. He succeeded his uncle, Arif Ahmet Denizolgun, who was an independent member of Parliament and Minister of Transport in the Mesut Yilmaz government, which was formed following the events of February 28, 1997 (the so-called “postmodern coup”) against Islamist communities and sects. Denizolgun died on September 8, 2016, reportedly as a result of a cerebral hemorrhage. Even then, however, suspicions regarding his death were circulating in the public sphere.

Analysts claim that members of the community’s current leadership have been lobbying to involve prominent figures from the AKP in financial and inheritance disputes.

Among them is İdris Naim Sahin, one of the founders of the AKP and a former interior minister, whose name surfaced during the investigation. There are also allegations of a possible connection between the Suleymancilar community and Fethullah G