Mikel Therúnk

Mikel Therúnk
Therúnk in a bunker (c. 2010)
Birth name	Mikel Jivedriath Therúnk
Born	(1963-04-12)April 12, 1963 Intemil, Terranihil
Died	July 9, 2020(2020-07-09) (aged 57) Minaltar, Terranihil
Allegiance	Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Terranihil (2010-present)
Commands held	Leader of the DFLT
Battles/wars	The Troubles Second Lyoan Civil War
Alma mater	University of Intemil

Mikel Jivedriath Therúnk (1963-2020) was a Terranihilian militant and the founder of the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Terranihil (DFLT), a terrorist organization operating in Terranihil and Lyoa. Therúnk led several attacks against civilians, mainly in Intemil. He then relocated in Lyoa and fought in the Second Lyoan Civil War. After the Qonqordia Peace Accords, Lyoan forces captured and extradited Therúnk to Terranihil, where he was executed.

Early life and Professorship

Mikel Therúnk was born on June 1, 1963, in Intemil, Terranihil. His father was a philosophy professor at the University of Intemil (UoI), who focused on the ideas of Sorgest Fratón, and his mother was a journalist for the Intemil Times. Therúnk was raised in Intemil and lived their for most of his life. After high school, Therúnk attended UoI. His father died of leukemia while Mikel was in his third year. Therúnk graduated 1985 with a history degree. He was then accepted into the doctorate program of history at UoI.

Therúnk recieved his PhD and began teaching at UoI as a full professor in 1998. He taught inttroductory history and the Terranilian Civil War. He was a successful teacher and several of his articles were published in journals. He then began teaching the Progressive Revolution. He reportedly implied that the nation would have been better off if the revolution had not happened. The university administration put him on probation for his remarks. However Therúnk protested, stating his comments were taken out of context. Then in 2009, the university fired Therúnk.

Formation of the DFLT

The exact history of the formation of the DFLT is unclear. After Therúnk was dismissed, he met with Jožua Mógrais, an ex-member of the Free Chrisitan Army (FCA), in 2010 and decided to start an antigovernment organization to fight for the reinstatement of democracy. Therúnk recruited one other professor and two students, and Mógrais recruited four militants from the FCA.

University Attacks

Therúnk and Mógrais immediately began planning their first attack on the University of Intemil. On November 2, 2010, the group placed an explosive device in a lecture hall capable of holding several hundred students. The explosive was supposed to detonate in the middle of a packed lecture, but a malfunction caused the explosive to detonate about thirty minutes late after most students had left. The bomb still killed two students and injured two others. The attack was planned mostly by Mógrais who had experience from his work with the FCA.

Therúnk then released a series of videos in which he revealed that he and the DFLT conducted the attack. The group continued to recruit members and carried out several more attacks. Therúnk was paranoid of being caught, so he resorted to low risk attacks that only harmed a few people at a time. They committed several stabbings and small bombings throughout western Terranihil.

In 2016, the DFLT carried out another attack on the University of Intemil. They placed an explosive device in the same lecture hall that was bombed in 2010. The bomb detonated on schedule and killed 22 students and injuring 17 others. Therúnk released another video claiming responsibility for the attack.

Disappearance

The attacks prompted the Department of Internal Security (DIS) to launch an offensive against the group. The DII and police arrested over 250 people allegedly involved with the DFLT, despite estimates that DFLT membership was under 50. The DII used the videos released by Therúnk to find the base of operations of the DFLT. On June 23, 2016, the DII raided the base and arrested nine terrorists, including Mógrais. However Therúnk was not at the base at the time and managed to evade arrest.

Therúnk has been one of the most wanted men in Terranihil for a decade. Some claimed he fled to Lyoa or Malgax. Despite his survival, the DII believed that it had successfully destroyed the DFLT. The group had seemingly disbanded after Mógrais and other members were arrested and then executed.

Reemergence

After more than three years of silence, Therúnk released a video claiming that the DFLT was responsible for a bombing attack on February 20th, 2020. He stated that the DFLT had not disbanded and will carry out more attacks. The Department of External Security (DES) stated that Therúnk and other DFLT leaders are hiding in Lyoa. The DEI requested the immediate extradition of Therúnk and his cooperators. The Lyoan government responded, stating that there is no credible evidence that DFLT leadership is in Lyoa.

One day after the courthouse attack, the DFLT attempted yet another bombing. Two men were arrested for placing explosives in a hotel in Avergís. Therúnk released another video claiming responsibility and stating that they were targeting Muslims. One of the terrorists had traveled to Lyoa three weeks prior. The DIS stated the explosives and a handgun carried by one of the suspects were from Lyoa.

After the break out of the Second Lyoan Civil War in March 12, 2020, Therúnk led the DFLT in fighting against the Rally for Lyoan Democracy in Isiru. The group continued attacks in Terranihil, focusing on political targets, and recruited Lyoans. Therúnk reportedly had extensive support from Lyoaan government officials. However, after the Qonqordia Peace Accords ended the war, Lyoa agreed to extradaite Therúnk. He was captured Therúnk on July 4. He was quickly tried for treason, terrorism, 64 counts of murder, and several other crimes, and then publicly executed by hanging.

Ideology

Most of the Therúnk's ideology is known from his videos, in which he often went on tirades about the faults of Terranihil. Therúnk's ideology also changed as time went on.

Democracy

Therúnk founded the DFLT for the purpose of promoting democracy. He beleives that Terranihil would be better off if the Progressive Revolution never happened and Terranihil remained democratic. He believes that violence against the government and those complicit with the government's tyranny is necessary and justified if it leads to the reinstatement of democracy. He is highly critical of the National Party for Progress (PPF), the ruling party in Terranihil, for its authoritarianism and supression of basic human rights.

Anti-Islam

Therúnk was not hostile towards Muslims at the beginning of the DFLT. He actually criticized Terranihil's treatment of Muslims several times. However his partner and closest friend Mógrais was an Islamophobe and fundamentalist Christian; Mógrais was likely the root of Thernúk's movement toward Islamophobia. Therúnk claims that Muslims were the main cause of the growth of nationalism and Virǎtism. Supposedly Terranilians became more supportive of a radical party like the PPF in reaction to extremist Islam, so Therúnk believes Muslims do not have a place in Terranihil.