Turkish Police Detains Journalist Over Coup Case

Istanbul police detained journalist Mehmet Baransu as part of a probe into allegations of plotting against some suspects of the "Sledgehammer" military coup case.



Istanbul's counter-terrorism department teams searched Baransu's home in Kagithane district for compact disks and documents about the case. The search lasted about 12 hours and the police seized some documents.



The Sledgehammer ("Balyoz") coup plan is the name given to an alleged military coup plan by a junta in the Turkish Armed Forces reportedly dating back to 2003, a year after the ruling Justice and Development Party came to power. 



It allegedly aimed at undermining the ruling government to lay the groundwork for a military takeover.



According to the alleged plan, the military was to systematically foment chaos in society through violence, including bombing of mosques in Istanbul and downing of a Turkish warplane over the Aegean.



www.aa.com.tr/en - Ankara