In July seven naval lieutenants were arrested on charges of plotting to assassinate two admirals, Metin Ataç and Eşref Uğur Yiğit. Three of those charged, lieutenants Sinan Efe Noyan, Faruk Akın and Alperen Erdoğan, were on active duty in Gölcük and were arrested on July 21 by court order after being detained.
There were claims that the lieutenants were in close contact with Maj. Levent Bektaş, who was arrested in April for suspected links to a large cache of ammunition unearthed during excavations on land owned by the İstek Foundation in İstanbul’s Poyrazköy district. That discovery came as part of the investigation into Ergenekon, a clandestine organization whose suspected members are currently standing trial on charges of having plotted to overthrow the government.
On Thursday, lieutenants Ali Seyhur Dişli, Burak Anaç and Fatih Göktaş and noncommissioned officer Burak Özkan were taken to the İstanbul Beşiktaş Courthouse early in the morning. Three of the soldiers were released after interrogation, while one of them was transferred to an İstanbul court for arrest. The lieutenant, whose name was not released, was arrested for “membership in a terrorist organization” by the court on Friday.
