Two more Turkish soldiers seek asylum in Greece

By Idyli Tsakiri

ATHENS, Greece (AA) - Two Turkish soldiers, allegedly part of the group that tried to assassinate Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in July 2016, are being held in Greece after requesting asylum, sources confirmed on Thursday.

According to officials familiar with the matter, the two men -- both of whom served in the Turkish special forces -- crossed into Greece on Feb. 15.

Two days later, they turned themselves in to the Greek authorities and requested asylum after admitting to illegally entering the country.

Both soldiers are currently being held in custody in Alexandroupoli, northern Greece. They allegedly fled arrest in Turkey due to information tying them to Erdogan’s attempted assassination on the night of the failed coup.

The 15 July 2016 coup attempt left at least 248 people martyred and more than 2,100 injured.

Recently, the Greek Supreme Court decided against the extradition of another eight Turkish former soldiers linked to the coup attempt, who fled to Greece a few hours after it failed.

Turkey continues to demand the extradition of the men, promising to provide fair trials.