Nov 12, 2009, 8:18 GMT
Istanbul - A Turkish colonel was under arrest Thursday in connection with an alleged military plot to discredit the government in Ankara.
Naval Colonel Dursun Cicek was arrested by a criminal court in Istanbul late Wednesday after being questioned by prosecutors for several hours.
A Turkish paper last June printed a document bearing Cicek's signature that outlined a plan to undermine the government of the liberal Islamic Justice and Development Party (AKP).
The plan included planting moles within the party and stoking sentiments regarding Armenia and Greece in order to strengthen the nationalist opposition.
At the time, Ilker Basbug, Turkey's top general, said the document did not originate with the military and was part of 'a campaign to smear the armed forces.'
'We believe that this piece of paper has been forged by certain circles to wear out and smear the Turkish armed forces,' Basbug said in June.
Colonel Cicek was arrested in June but was released after 18 hours due to a lack of evidence. His latest arrest comes after an anonymous military officer provided prosecutors with new information about the alleged plot.
The Turkish military remains one of Turkey's most powerful institutions and sees itself as the ultimate guardian of the country's secular system. Turkey has gone through four military coups in the past, most recently in 1980.
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