High-Ranking Military Officers Arrested in Balyoz Investigation

The "Balyoz" (sledgehammer) coup plan was plotted by a group of people within the armed forces in 2002/03. It was aimed at creating disorder in the country by bombings of mosques, crashing a Turkish jet plane and warplanes flying over the parliament, which should eventually lead to martial law and a coup.

A total of 49 military officers, some of them retired, were arrested in the context of the Bayloz investigation; seven of them were taken into detention. The remaining suspects are still being interrogated at the courthouse. Among them are also former Naval Forces Commander Özden Örnek and former Air Force Commander İbrahim Fırtına, who were taken to the courthouse this morning (24 February).

13 people gave their statements to the Beşiktaş (Istanbul) Prosecutor's Office on Tuesday (23 February). Subsequently, five admirals, three of them retired, and two retired colonels were taken to the court upon the request of their detention.

The 10^th High Criminal Court on Duty decided for the arrest of Senior Rear Admiral Ramazan Cem Gündeniz, Rear Admiral Aziz Çakmak, retired Rear Admiral Mehmet Kaya Varol, retired Senior Rear Admirals Ali Deniz Kutluk and Özer Karabulut, retired Colonels of  General Staff Ümit Özcan and Ali İhsan Çuhadaroğlu.

Six people released

Six people were released, namely retired Rear Admiral Engin Baykal, retired Lieutenant General Ayhan Taş and retired Vice Admiral Lütfi Sancar, retired Colonel of General Staff  Ahmet Metin Dikici, Non-commissioned Officer Adil Erden and Colonel Cengiz Köylü. Köylü is a detained defendant in the Eregekon case and was brought back to Hasdal Military Prison.

The Prime Minister's Balyoz summit

Prime Minister Recep Tayyıp Erdoğan held a meeting with members of the cabinet last night (23 February) when he had come back from his visit to Spain. The meeting in Erdoğan's house in Keçiören, a district of Ankara, was attended by State Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Cemil Çiçek, Justice Minister Sadullah Ergin, Minister of the Interior Beşir Atalay, and Prime Ministry Undersecretary Efgan Ala. There was no statement released after the meeting. (TK/VK)