ISTANBUL – An Istanbul court yesterday released 10 military officers, including three admirals, who have been charged in an alleged plot to overthrow the government, CNN Turk television said.
The men, six of whom are currently serving in the military, were detained with nearly 70 other officers late last month. The move escalated tensions between prime minister Tayyip Erdogan’s government, which has roots in political Islam, and the secularist establishment and rattled financial markets.
Twenty-four people remain in police custody in connection with the so-called Sledgehammer coup plot, NTV channel reported.
It was not immediately clear why the six officers were released.
Prosecutors are investigating allegations that the suspects conspired to bomb an historic mosque, shoot down a fighter jet and blame Greece and arrest hundreds of thousands of people to foment social unrest and destabilise Mr Erdogan’s government.
The military denies such a plot, saying Sledgehammer was part of a war-games scenario used at a training seminar.
Turkey’s armed forces have overthrown three governments in coups since 1960 and pressured Turkey’s first Islamist-led government to resign in 1997.
The army wields considerable influence in the political sphere, but analysts say another military coup is unlikely in Turkey, a candidate for European Union membership.
– (Reuters)