Ömer Halisdemir

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Ömer Halisdemir (20 February 1974 – 16 July 2016) was a Turkish non-commissioned officer who helped stop the 2016 coup attempt. He killed Brigadier General Semih Terzi at the Turkish Army’s Special Forces Command in Ankara, preventing rebels from taking over the base.

He was born in Çukurkuyu, Niğde Province, and grew up as one of seven children. He dreamed of becoming a soldier and joined the Turkish Armed Forces in 1999 as an infantry non-commissioned officer. He served in southeastern Turkey, in Şırnak and Silopi, and abroad in Northern Iraq and Afghanistan. He rose to the rank of senior sergeant major and later worked as an aide to General Zekai Aksakallı at the Special Forces Command in Ankara.

During the coup night of 15–16 July 2016, Aksakallı ordered Halisdemir by phone to stop Terzi from taking over the Special Forces Command. Halisdemir confronted Terzi at the headquarters entrance, shot him three times, and killed him. He then tried to flee but was fatally shot by loyalist Major Fatih Şahin (with Lt. Mihrali Atmaca also involved) as the attack continued. The coup failed, and the rebels were arrested.

Halisdemir was buried in Çukurkuyu on 17 July 2016. A monument to him stands at the Special Forces Command headquarters, and many places have been named in his honor.