Turkey Detains 11 Over Alleged Erdogan’s Kidnap Bid
MEP: Turkish special forces have detained 11 soldiers suspected of being allegedly involved in a bid to kidnap President Recep Tayyip Erdogan during last month’s failed coup attempt, the deputy prime minister said on Monday.
They are suspected to have been part of a group that tried to attack the hotel where President Recep Tayyip Erdogan was staying on the night of the attempted takeover.
“They were captured in Ula,” Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus said after a cabinet meeting, referring to a town near Marmaris.
Erdoğan was on holiday with his family on the night of 15 July when a military coup launched. The president was tipped off about the raid and escaped before the commandos arrived.
Gunfire broke out as the special forces clashed with the fugitives, but there were no reports of any casualties.
The development came a day after Turkey sacked nearly 1,400 military personnel suspected of having links with US-based opposition cleric Fethullah Gulen, whom Ankara blames for the botched coup.
