Masal Cafe Raided By FBI, Lots Of Speculation

Masal Cafe Raided By FBI, Lots Of Speculation
Masal Cafe tabletop. Photo by Sean Egan/Sheepshead Bites.
Masal Cafe tabletop. Photo by Sean Egan/Sheepshead Bites.

Turkish media outlets are reporting that the FBI has raided Masal Cafe, a Turkish-American outpost on Emmons Avenue with ties to Turkey’s controversial Hizmet movement.

Hizmet is the secretive organization blamed for this summer’s coup attempt in the country and led by an Imam who lives in Pennsylvania, Fethullah Gülen. The group has a number of adherents in Sheepshead Bay, gathered around the Turkish Cultural Center at 2727 Coney Island Ave.

The Daily Sabah, a Turkish news outlet, reported that there were over a dozen FBI agents at the cafe early last Friday, October 28. They reportedly seized a number of computers, and also raided the house of the cafe’s owner, Salahattin Karakuş, where they took more computers, reported the Daily Sabah.

Karakus reportedly confirmed over the phone to the Daily Sabah that the FBI was in his house and cafe. He is quoted as saying, “They told me not to talk about this with anyone. That’s all.”

Karakus could not be reached for comment, and the FBI and Department of Justice didn’t respond to an inquiry from Sheepshead Bites. Several employees at neighboring restaurants and stores all said they had been told of the raid. Two employees of Masal said they heard about it as well, but “know nothing.”

Hizmet’s organizational structure — and even its mission — are notoriously hard to pin down. Gülenists typically say they are “inspired” by him, rather than members of a formal group. The Turkish government views it as a terrorist group and has demanded Gülen’s extradition. Its adherents describe it as a harmless organization of small business people and others focused on moderate Islam and self-reliance.

Masal has been tied to the group before.

In 2014, Buzzfeed News reported that Karakus played a role in a move by the Gülenist movement to gain influence in American politics by donating to Congressional candidates from as far as Texas.

As reported by Buzzfeed:

Selahattin Karakus, who owns and operates Masal Café, said that he has donated to both Democratic and Republican candidates. When asked to name a Republican to whom he had donated, Karakus was unable to remember any of their names. When asked why he had decided to donate to Cuellar, a Democrat who represents a district in Texas several thousand miles away, Karakus said that he had “friends” in Texas and that he wanted to support candidates with strong pro-immigrant stances. (Cuellar introduced a bill with Republican Sen. John Cornyn that would allow the expedited deportation of the tens of thousand of undocumented minors who have recently arrived in the United States).

It remains unclear why the DOJ would go after Karakus, or any other supporters of the Gülenist movement. The Daily Sabah — citing a Turkish government source — alleged that it is part of a larger federal move against Gülen.

A Senior Turkish official said the FBI has been conducting a number of investigations on money laundering allegations involving Turkish-American businessmen with links to Gülen. A Turkish diplomat confirmed that the FBI was informally interviewing some businessmen in Chicago due to their links with Gülen.

In any event, it looks like geopolitics has come to Sheepshead Bay. If you know more — get in touch!

[Correction November 4, 5pm]: It was previously stated that the Turkish Cultural Center in Brighton Beach had ties to Gülen. We were mistaken; the TCC on Coney Island Avenue is the one we meant to refer to. We apologize for the error.