Turkey: 126 generals, admirals remanded in custody

By Asena Akcay

ANKARA (AA) – At least 126 generals and admirals allegedly linked to the July 15 failed coup have been remanded in custody so far, according to figures compiled by AA based on judicial sources.

In total, 133 generals and high-ranking officers were arrested for links to the bloody coup attempt that claimed hundreds of lives.

Thousands of Turkish army officers were held since the incident.

Earlier on Saturday, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan put the number of detainees at 11,160. He said the number of those who were remanded reached 4,704.

"Among them, 167 are police, 2,878 military personnel, 1,552 judges and prosecutors and 14 [local] governors, and 93 civilians," Erdogan said.

Turkey's government has repeatedly said the deadly coup attempt on July 15, which martyred at least 246 people and injured more than 2,100 others, was organized by followers of U.S.-based cleric Fetullah Gulen.

Gulen is also accused of a long-running campaign to overthrow the state through the infiltration of Turkish institutions, particularly the military, police, and judiciary, forming what is commonly known as the parallel state.