COUP PLOT IN TURKEY

Twelve senior Turkish military officers were charged over an alleged plot to topple the government. Turkey’s top military commanders held an emergency meeting and warned in a statement of a “serious situation.” Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan consulted overnight with his deputy and the interior and justice ministers. The tensions were triggered by a dramatic police swoop that detained around 50 serving and retired officers in an unprecedented operation. The most senior detainees, retired Air Force Cmdr. Ibrahim Firtina and ex-navy chief Ozden Ornek, were being held at police headquarters in Istanbul, while retired Adm. Ahmet Feyyaz Ogutcu and other officers were sent to court for questioning. The 12 officers charged included five admirals, three retired and two serving; a retired brigadier general, five retired officers and a serving soldier. The army leadership has said previously that probes into a series of alleged coup plots were hurting morale in the ranks.