Ex-army chief held over 'coup' in Turkey

The former head of Turkey's armed forces was in custody yesterday on charges of trying to overthrow the government, as the judiciary moved against a military that was once the ultimate power in the land.

General Ilker Basbug, who retired in 2010, is the most senior officer to be caught up in the crackdown on the military and secularist establishment. The chief of the General Staff was effectively Turkey's ultimate power until Recep Tayyip Erdogan's government eroded army influence. The Prime Minister has engineered the transformation thanks to overwhelming public support.

Reuters