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Friday, Jan 6, 2012 7:09 AM UTC

Turkey: Ex-military Chief Arrested Over Plot

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Topics: From the Wires,

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — A former military chief was jailed Friday, accused of leading a terror organization and plotting to bring down Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s government, his lawyer said, becoming the most senior officer to face trial in a series of investigations into alleged anti-government plots.

Gen. Ilker Basbug was arrested and placed in a prison near Istanbul overnight after seven hours of questioning by prosecutors investigating allegations that the military funded dozens of websites aimed at discrediting the Islamic-rooted government in 2009.

Some of the suspects already charged in the case, including senior generals and admirals, have said they acted in a chain of command. Basbug, who retired in August 2010, led the military at the time.

Lawyer Ilkay Sezer said Basbug denied accusations during questioning.

The jailing of a former military chief — unimaginable a few years back — comes as the government, which has won three successive elections, has sharply reduced the political clout of the military. Military leaders have staged three coups and forced an Islamist prime minister to quit over the past decades.

The alleged conspiracy was first reported by a Turkish newspaper in 2009, which printed a photocopy of an alleged plan to damage the reputation of the government by portraying it as corrupt. Investigations into the reported conspiracy were inconclusive because the original document, allegedly signed by a navy colonel, could not be found. The probe was revived last year after an unidentified military officer allegedly sent the original document to Istanbul’s chief prosecutor.

Hundreds of people, including civilians, retired generals and active-duty officers, are already on trial accused of being part of plots that prosecutors say were aimed at destabilizing Turkey and bringing the government down. The military says 58 serving generals or admirals are in jail.

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