TURKISH COURT ORDERS ARREST OF 102 FOR BETRAYAL

A court in Turkey ordered the arrest of 102 people, including three retired military commanders, to be jailed pending trial on charges of conspiring in 2003 to overthrow the Islamic-rooted government in a coup plot. The court set the trial date as December 16. It had indicted a total of 196 people, accusing them of planning to create chaos and pave the way for a military takeover in an alleged conspiracy dubbed ‘sledgehammer’. Police are now expected to round up 102 of those people, including Ret. Gen. Dogan Cetin, former commander of Turkey’s first army, Ozden Ornek, former naval force commander and Ibrahim Firtina, former air force commander. The accused may face up to 20 years in prison if convicted of attempting to bring down the government and having membership of an illegal organisation.