Brigadier Gen. İsmail Güneşer, a top aide of former President Abdullah Gül, was arrested in the southeastern district of Şemdinli in Hakkari for allegedly having links to the coup attempt that was suppressed by the government last Friday after resulting in the bombing of the Parliament and death of many overnight.
Hakkari Governor Cüneyt Orhan Toprak announced on Wednesday that Güneşer was arrested by counter-terrorism police on a prosecutor’s order. According to reports, police conducted a search in the house of Toprak. An hour of search turned up no criminal evidence.
Güneşer, who is currently the head of the Bolu Command’s 2nd Brigade, served as an aide for Gül between the years of 2008 and 2012.
As of Wednesday, a total of 992 soldiers following Friday’s failed military coup attempt were under arrest.
A group of soldiers attempted a military coup at around 10 p.m. last Friday, with tanks rolling onto the streets of Ankara and İstanbul and soldiers blocking the Bosphorus Bridge and the Fatih Sultan Mehmet Bridge. The military’s claim of a takeover was announced by the state broadcaster TRT after rebel soldiers raided its building. The anchorwoman said the military imposed martial law and declared a curfew until further notice.
Hundreds of people, including civilians, were killed in clashes between police and rebel soldiers overnight. The Parliament, the presidential palace and the National Intelligence Organization (MİT) headquarters were struck by military helicopters.
The Turkish government managed to suppressed the coup attempt and launched a large-scale crackdown across the country on media, public servants, judges, prosecutors and teachers, along with rebels within the army.