ANKARA, Jan 26: Turkish authorities have charged five ultra-nationalists, including a retired army major, with involvement in plans for a violent uprising against the government, Turkish media said on Saturday.

A court said retired army major Zekeriya Ozturk will face charges of inciting people to armed revolt and four other men will face charges of belonging to an illegal group, private broadcaster CNN Turk said.

The court decision follows the arrests of dozens of people this week after a police investigation into a far-right group known as Ergenekon. Turkish media say the group was plotting a series of bomb attacks and assassinations.

Officials have declined to comment on the case, which began with the seizure of explosives and weapons at a house in Umraniye, Istanbul, last summer.

The court was still deliberating on possible charges against four other men, including a second retired army officer and a lawyer who is well known in Turkey for prosecuting writers and journalists.

Turkish newspapers said this week the group was plotting to kill Nobel Literature Laureate Orhan Pamuk and several Kurdish politicians.

The newspapers also said the group was preparing a series of bomb attacks aimed at fomenting chaos ahead of a coup in 2009 against Turkey’s centre-right government, whose European Union-linked reforms are opposed by the ultra-nationalists.

Some commentators have seen in the case the workings of a “deep state”, a phrase used to denote ultra-nationalists in the security forces and state bureaucracy who are ready to subvert the law for their own political ends.

Police have been observing Ergenekon, which is named after a valley in Turkish nationalist mythology, for several years and have compiled a 7,000-page dossier on the group and its activities, newspapers say.—Reuters

Opinion

Editorial

Out of control
Updated 19 Feb, 2025

Out of control

AS bodies continue to fall in Kurram despite a state-sanctioned ceasefire, one wonders how long local militants’...
Hollow words
19 Feb, 2025

Hollow words

IT is not uncommon for politicians to resort to the use of hyperbole in order to boost their public standing. ...
Migration matters
19 Feb, 2025

Migration matters

THE grass, it seems, did appear greener on the other side to millions of people as evidenced by the latest UN ...
Cholistan project
Updated 18 Feb, 2025

Cholistan project

GPI goals align with Pakistan's broader economic aims but the manner in which the initiative was launched raises questions.
Right to know
18 Feb, 2025

Right to know

IT is an unfortunate paradox that while on paper Pakistan has some of the most impressive right to information laws,...
Dam dispute
18 Feb, 2025

Dam dispute

THE situation in Chilas needs attention and a fair-minded approach so that it can be resolved amicably. Diamer ...