More Sledgehammer arrests as ex-force commanders grilled

Retired Adm. Ali Feyyaz Öğütçü, whose name is frequently mentioned as “the president” in another alleged military plot called Kafes (Cage), was also arrested. Öğütçü was forced to retire after last August's Supreme Military Council (YAŞ) meeting, reportedly due to his suspected ties to Ergenekon, a clandestine criminal organization accused of working to topple the Justice and Development Party (AK Party) government. In related developments, two former force commanders, former retired naval chief Adm. Özden Örnek and former Air Forces Commander Gen. İbrahim Fırtına, both detained on Monday in the operation, were brought to the Beşiktaş Courthouse in the morning to testify to prosecutors. Former 1st Army Commander Ret. Gen. Ergin Saygun was also brought to the courthouse with the two former force commanders. The retired force commanders testified to prosecutors Mehmet Berk and Ali Haydar. İstanbul Deputy Chief Prosecutor Turan Çolakadı supervised the interrogation.

The retired officers arrested by the İstanbul 10th High Criminal Court were identified as Gen. İzzet Ocak, retired Gen. Metin Yavuz Yalçın and retired Col. Kubilay Aktaş. Meanwhile, retired Col. Mustafa Çalış, also detained and referred to court as part of the same probe, was released by the prosecutor after testifying. Meanwhile, another officer on active duty was released by the prosecution during the day; however, his identity was not made public.

Higher ranking officers arrested so far include Adm. Ramazan Cem Gündeniz, Adm. Aziz Çakmak, retired Gen. Mehmet Kaya Varol, retired Gen. Ocak, retired Gen. Yalçın and retired admirals Öğütçü, Ali Deniz Kutluk and Özer Karabulut as well as retired senior colonels Özcan, Ali İhsan Çuhadaroğlu, Emin Küçükkılıç, Suat Aydın and Aktaş. The suspects stand accused of “attempting to overthrow the government of the Republic of Turkey by using force and violence,” a crime under Turkish Penal Code (TCK) Article 312, and “membership in an armed terrorist organization,” criminalized under TCK Article 314.

Sledgehammer coup plot

The discovery of a plot, allegedly drafted by the military in 2003 and designed to topple the AK Party, led to the detention of 49 active duty and retired members of the military on Monday. This was the highest profile crackdown ever carried out on the military. Twelve of the detainees were referred to the court on Wednesday.

News reports say the prosecutors are directing a lengthy list of questions spanning 80 pages regarding the Sledgehammer plan. The suspects were questioned on the location of the ammunition they planned to use to realize the plot that allegedly included bombing mosques. The prosecutors also asked for the names of other collaborators, referred to in the documents about the alleged coup plan as the “chosen cadres.”

Another question on the list was about Oraj, or Thunderstorm, a subplot that included the deliberate downing of a Turkish jet over the Aegean in order to spark a conflict with Greece.

The Sledgehammer plan was allegedly drawn up in 2003 and discussed at a seminar held at the General Staff’s Selimiye barracks in March of that year. The suspects also had to respond to a question on the content of this seminar. Reports said the prosecutors handed them an uninterrupted voice recording from the seminar as well as its 175-page transcript.

Another question the suspects were asked pertained to former force commanders Gen. Fırtına and Adm. Örnek. The suspects were asked if they had indeed attempted to overthrow the government; to describe all they know about the Sledgehammer plan, including where and by whom it was devised, under whose orders it had been developed and the respondent’s own role in the plan; the place of the first meeting; who among the 168 officers that were part of the plan the respondent had contacted; whether the order had been given by then 1st Army Commander Gen. Çetin Doğan, who was also detained on Monday; and the specific roles of retired Gen. Fırtına and retired Adm. Örnek.

The Turkish military, for years the final arbiter of whether civilian governments were up to snuff, is on the defensive. The government appears to be waging a dogged campaign to curb military sway over the country’s political life. Four times since 1960, the military -- which views itself as the guardian of Turkey’s secular tradition -- has overthrown civilian governments.