Turkish court releases top suspected military plotters

26/02/2010

ANKARA, Turkey -- A court on Thursday (February 25th) released three former senior military officers, who'd been arrested as part of investigations into an alleged anti-government plot by the military, dubbed "Sledgehammer". Former Air Force Commander Ibrahim Firtina and former Navy Commander Admiral Ozden Ornek were freed after questioning, as prosecutors concluded they pose no flight risk. Former First Army Commander General Ergin Saygun will have to report to police regularly. The three were released several hours after an unprecedented meeting between Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Army Chief of General Staff Ilker Basbug and President Abdullah Gul. The three leaders issued a statement saying tensions over the alleged coup plot must be resolved within the framework of the constitution. Plotters allegedly aimed to trigger general chaos by placing bombs in mosques and museums in an attempt to overthrow the pro-Islamic government. While the army denies the existence of any such plan, a Turkish court charged 11 more officers in connection with the plot on Friday and arrested 18 more military officials. According to media reports, the arrests occurred in 13 different cities and towns. One suspect is a retired officer, the rest are active duty. (CNN Turk, BBC, Hurriyet, AFP, AP - 26/02/10; AFP, Reuters, Xinhua, AP - 25/02/10)