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2009-04-14 Europe
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Turkey: Academics detained in coup probe
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[ADN Kronos] Turkish police detained the head of a university and two other academics on Monday in new arrests linked to an alleged plot to overthrow the government, the state-run Anatolian news agency said.One active and three former university rectors were detained in several provinces of Turkey as part of the controversial Ergenekon probe.
The High Criminal Court in Istanbul ordered the detention of nearly 40 people at the request of five prosecutors carrying out the investigation into the plot. Mehmet Haberal, rector of Baskent University in the capital Ankara, Mustafa Yurtkuran, former rector of Uludag University in the western province of Bursa, and Fatih Hilmioglu, former rector of Inonu University in southeastern Malatya province were among the latest detainees.
The raids were part of an operation against the ultra-nationalist Ergenekon organisation - one of the most controversial cases in Turkey's history.
It was launched in 2007 after the discovery of hand grenades in a house in Istanbul.The ongoing investigation has unsettled markets and increased tension between the government and secularists, including the military. Nearly 150 people, including retired senior military officers, lawyers and academics, are on trial for their links to Ergenekon.
Prosecutors say the group was planning a campaign of bombings and attacks to force the army to step in against prime minister Tayyip Erdogan's government.
Ergenekon was revealed more than a year ago when explosives were discovered in a police raid on an Istanbul home.
Some observers believe the investigation, which has targeted many government critics, is revenge for a failed 2008 lawsuit to ban the ruling AK Party on the grounds of anti-secular activities which the party has denied.
On Monday police also searched the office of Osman Metin Ozturk, rector of Giresun University in northern Turkey, and the home of columnist Erol Manisali in Istanbul. 
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Posted by Fred 2009-04-14 00:00||
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