TWO ADMIRALS, FIVE MILITARY OFFICERS PUT BEHIND BARS IN COUP PLOT
Asbarez
litary-officers-put-behind-bars-in-coup-plot/
Feb 24th, 2010
ANKARA (Todays Zaman)-A Turkish court on Wednesday arrested and put
behind bars seven senior military officers for allegedly plotting
to overthrow the government. Two of those arrested were admirals on
active duty.
The discovery of plans allegedly drafted by the military in 2003
designed to topple the Justice and Development Party (AK Party)
led to the detention of about 50 active duty and retired members of
the military on Monday. This was the highest profile crackdown ever
carried out on the military.
An Istanbul court also ordered on Wednesday that six of the detainees
be released. It was not, however, clear whether they were freed
pending trial. Prosecutors were still questioning dozens of other
high-ranking officers, including former commanders of the navy,
air force and special forces.
The detainees were questioned over their suspected links to the Balyoz
(Sledgehammer) and Kafes (Cage) coup plots. The subversive plots
included blowing up mosques during Friday prayers, attacking museums
with bombs and other explosives during a visit by young students and
turning stadiums into open-air prisons capable of holding tens of
thousands of people if they challenged the coup troops.
On Tuesday evening, Chief of General Staff Gen. Ilker Basbug gathered
military generals at an extraordinary meeting at the General Staff
in the Turkish capital. Gen. Basbug had postponed his planned visit
to Egypt after the detentions.
Tuesday’s meeting was attended by 15 generals on active duty. A
statement posted on the General Staff Web site read that the meeting
intended to evaluate the "serious situation" that had erupted as
part of an investigation being conducted by the Istanbul Chief Public
Prosecutor’s Office. The General Staff was referring to the Ergenekon
investigation, a probe into a clandestine terrorist organization
accused of working to overthrow the government.
Dozens of suspected members of Ergenekon are currently in jail pending
trial on charges of working to destroy the government and Parliament.
Among them are members of the military, academia and the business
world.