Turkish general, prosecutor to be tried over anti-government plot

The indictment – drawn up in the eastern city of Erzincan and also charging about a dozen other suspects – is the latest to emerge from an ongoing probe into the Ergenekon network, which has come under fire for allegedly seeking to topple the ruling government.

In a separate probe last week, 35 retired and active duty soldiers were detained in Istanbul pending trial over a purported 2003 plan to overthrow the ruling AKP, which has strong Islamist roots.

The Erzincan indictment singles out four-star Army Commander Gen. Saldıray Berk, as the head of a local group linked to Ergenekon, and lists the city's chief prosecutor İlhan Cihaner – whose arrest last month heightened political strains – as one of his key collaborators.

The suspects are accused of belonging to a "terrorist organization" and risk up to 15 years in jail, the daily Milliyet newspaper said.

Eight other soldiers and three members of Turkey's intelligence agency are among the other suspects to stand trial, according to Anatolia news agency.

The prosecution argues the suspects attempted to activate a plan to discredit the Fethullah Gülen movement, which is close to the AKP, the agency said.

They allegedly plotted to plant drugs, weapons and illicit documents in student houses run by the Gülen community and seize them in subsequent security operations in a bid to ensure the community was listed as a terrorist group.

The move was envisaged under an alleged plan drawn up by Navy Col. Dursun Çiçek in Ankara, which the army said Monday may be genuine.

Prosecutors say the Ergenekon network planned assassinations and bomb attacks to destabilize Turkey and prompt a military takeover against the AKP.

Afoot since 2007, the probe was initially hailed as a success, with police digging up several weapons caches. But its credibility waned as prosecutors began targeting journalists, academics and writers known as AKP critics.

Dozens of suspects, among them two retired generals accused of being the ringleaders, are already on trial as part of the probe.


/Hurriyet Daily News/