Turkish Chief of Staff Says Coup Plotters Tried to Make Him Talk to Gulen

Turkish Chief of Staff Gen. Hulusi Akar said that the putschists tried to force him to speak to Turkish opposition cleric Fethullah Gulen, who Ankara suspects of being behind the recent coup attempt.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — On July 15, the Turkish authorities said that an attempted coup was taking place in the country. The attempt was suppressed by early Saturday. Over 13,000 people have been detained in connection with the coup. In the wake of the coup attempt, Akar was taken hostage by a group of soldiers and delivered to Akincilar Air Base, thought to have been the headquarters from where the coup was planned.

Akar was quoted by the Daily Sabah newspaper as saying that Brig. Gen. Hakan Evrim tried to convince him to talk to Gulen, but he refused. He added that he had been trying to persuade coup-plotting officers to drop the plan.

The Fethullahist Terrorist Organization (FETO)/Parallel State Structure (PDY), made up of Gulen's supporters, is designated as a terrorist organization by Ankara. In 2014, Turkey opened an investigation into the organization's alleged efforts to overthrow the government.

Gulen is wanted on charges including treason, although he denies any wrongdoing.