POLICE DETAIN SEVERAL TURKISH MILITARY GENERALS IN NEW RAIDS

Hurriyet
Feb 22 2010
Turkey

Turkish police have searched the homes of two retired military generals
and detained more than a dozen former and current military commanders
for alleged links to the "Balyoz" (Sledgehammer) Operation.

The total of detainees nationwide was reported to be 48. Several
high-ranking retired military officials have been taken into custody
in this new wave of detainments related to the Ergenekon investigation
into an suspected gang called Ergenekon alleged to have sought to
topple the ruling government.

According to reports, the new round of detentions may be linked to
the Balyoz plot, therefore possibly merging Balyoz and Ergenekon.

Balyoz is an alleged military coup plan against the ruling Justice and
Development Party, or AKP, written in 2003. According to Taraf, the
military planned for drastic measures to cause unrest in the country
in order to remove the AKP from power. Those measures included bombing
two major mosques in Istanbul, an assault on a military museum by
people disguised as fundamentalists and the raising of tension with
Greece through the usual dogfights between the fighter planes of
the two countries over the Aegean Sea. The allegations even include
shooting down a Turkish plane and blaming it on Greece.

The reason for the detainments was still unclear early Monday evening,
but private channel NTV reported that the detainees allegedly had
the same signatures as those found on documents related to the Balyoz
operation.

The retired generals taken into custody include former top Navy Cmdr.

Ozden Ornek, former top Air Force Cmdr. İbrahim Fırtına, former
1st Army commander Ergin Saygun, former South Seas Navy Cmdr. Lutfi
Sancar, and generals Ayhan Poyraz, Engin Alan, Umit Ozcan, Ayhan TaÅ~_
and Ozer Karabulut.

Another 10 colonels were also reportedly detained in the same
operation. So far detentions have taken place in Istanbul, Ankara,
Bursa and Ä°zmir. All of the detainees are expected to be brought to
Istanbul. Seven detained officials, including İbrahim Fırtına, were
brought to Istanbul from Ankara on a 1:30 p.m. flight and taken to the
Istanbul Security Directorate from Sabiha Gökcen Airport. Fırtına
was previously questioned in the scope of the Ergenekon investigation
and denied all allegations of being a coup plotter.

Ozden Ornek is reported to have been taken to the police department’s
Anti-Terror Unit in Istanbul after being subjected to medical
examination alongside other detainees.

Cetin Dogan, whose signature was under the alleged Balyoz plan,
was not detained after his house in Istanbul and villa in Bodrum
were searched, though his lawyer said that there was a detention
warrant out for him. Dogan has been very active since the Balyoz
allegations appeared and has participated in many TV shows and has
given interviews to several journalists, claiming that he signed a
"military war game plan," not a coup plot and the press version of
Sledgehammer was forged.

Another retired general whose house in Istanbul was searched is
Suha Tanyeli, former head of the Strategic Research Center of the
General Staff.

The searched locations have reported to be 20 in various provinces;
among them is the veteran’s support group Mehmetcik Foundation. After
six hours, documents were confiscated and taken to the security
directorate for further inspection.

Top general delays trip

Turkish military chief Ä°lker BaÅ~_bug delayed an official visit
to Egypt as police detained the retired military officials for
suspected involvement in the alleged coup plot, CNNTurk and daily
Radikal reported.

Minister of the Interior BeÅ~_ir Atalay told reporters he is following
developments very closely and that the detainments are being carried
out at the request of the judiciary.

Tensions between the military and the government have been on the
rise ever since police began detaining military personnel in the
course of alleged coup plot investigations.