A Turkish lieutenant who had appeared as a key witness during trials concerning a failed coup in 2016 and hailed as a hero for his resistance to putschist officers has been detained and arrested on coup charges, the Cumhuriyet daily reported on Tuesday.
Onur Karan, a first lieutenant in the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK), had been testifying in trials involving the coup attempt, when rogue soldiers attempted a takeover of the country on July 15, 2016.
Karan is also accused of membership in the Gülen movement, a religious group inspired by Muslim cleric Fethullah Gülen, which Ankara blames for orchestrating the abortive putsch.
According to the Cumhuriyet report, Karan denied the allegations and said he followed the orders of anti-coup superiors such as Col. Hançeri Sayat and Col. Erkan Olgay, who were both promoted to the rank of brigadier general for their “valor” during the failed coup.