A Turkish court today decided to formally charge and jail seven senior military officers, among them two admirals on active duty, in connection with an alleged plot to overthrow Turkey's liberal Islamic government, according to dpa. The jailed officers were among a group of some 50 serving and former high-ranking military commanders who were rounded up on Monday in connection with the alleged coup plot. Among those arrested were the former heads of the Navy and Air Force. The arrests were the first ever in Turkey's history of such top-level officers, previously considered "untouchable." The powerful Turkish military, which sees itself as the ultimate guardian of the country's secular system, has staged four coups since 1960. Those arrested are suspected of being part of a plan drafted in 2003 - allegedly code named "Sledgehammer" - which aimed to create chaos and political turbulence in the hopes of removing the government of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP). The plan, first revealed in documents leaked to the liberal Taraf newspaper, possibly included the bombing of popular mosques and the ratcheting-up of military tensions with Aegean neighbor Greece. The Turkish military has denied the coup plot allegations and has called the arrest of the commanders a "serious situation." The arrests come at a time of increased political tension between the Turkish government and its secularist opponents. European Union-candidate Turkey is currently conducting a trial into another alleged coup plot, known as "Ergenekon." Some 400 people, including journalists, academics and politicians have been arrested in connection with that trial. Critics of the government have accused it of using the coup allegations as a way of getting rid of its opponents. Devlet Bahceli, leader of the opposition Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) described the recent arrest of the high-ranking officers as a "state crisis." Government officials have denied that politics are behind the arrests, saying the investigation is part of an ongoing effort to strengthen democracy in Turkey and bring further civilian oversight over the military. EU officials in Brussels called the coup allegations "serious," but also called on Ankara to conduct fair trials.
