Turkish police detain 17 in plot investigation

24/09/2008| IslamWeb

Turkish police on Tuesday detained 17 people, including a former television station owner, as part of an investigation into the right-wing Ergenekon group accused of plotting to overthrow the government, CNN Turk said.

Media reports said police carried out a dawn search of the Istanbul house of former Kanalturk owner Tuncay Ozkan before taking him to police headquarters in the city for questioning.

Other former Kanalturk senior employees were among the others detained, broadcaster CNN Turk said on its website.

Tuncay Ozkan led so-called "republican meetings" opposing Abdullah Gul's election as president and is accused of calling on military to stage coup against the ruling AKP government.

Istanbul police declined to comment.

Some 100 people, including two retired generals, have been arrested in connection with the investigation.

Akin Ipek, owner of the religious-leaning newspaper Bugun, bought the anti-government broadcaster Kanalturk in May. Kanalturk played a key role in large anti-government rallies in 2007.

A top Turkish court agreed in July to hear a case against 86 of those detained on charges of trying to trigger a military coup through street violence and assassinations.

Analysts said the investigation was retribution against the secularist elite for an attempt to close the ruling AK Party in a court case this year.

PHOTO CAPTION

Detained members of Ergenekon network

 

Agencies