Turkish officials Saturday called for the prompt return of eight ‘treacherous officers’ who landed in Greece after a deadly military coup attempt in Ankara by a cadre of disaffected officers.
(FOX)- The officers flew to Greece seeking asylum and were identified as two majors, a captain and five privates by Anadolu Agency, a state-run news organization. The request was futher evidence that the coup was unsuccessful.
The officers were reportedly arrested for entering Greece illegally. The Greek government said it is returning a Turkish Blackhawk helicopter to Turkey “as soon as possible” but it will examine the asylum demand of the eight military personnel.
The coup attempt was swift and came as a surprise to allies in the region. Forces loyal to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan managed to quash the coup attempt in a night of explosions, air battles and gunfire that left at least 161 dead and at least 1,000 injured.
Authorities arrested thousands of people and Erdogan vowed that those responsible “will pay a heavy price for their treason.”
All soldiers involved in the attempted coup at the military headquarters in the capital, Ankara, have been taken into custody, the state-run news agency reported.