2 colonels captured over links to coup attempt

KONYA

Two colonels have been arrested in the central Anatolian city of Konya as part of investigations related to the July 15 coup attempt, sources said.

The police captured Col. Nabi Gazneli and Col. Muslum Kaya were captured in a house in Selcuklu district in Konya on Sunday. The special operations police forces also found guns buried in the garden of the house.

The two men were taken to the Konya Education and Research Hospital for health checks before interrogation by police.

Sources said that the two men were planning to move to Istanbul and then flee to Egypt.

A wave of detentions following the coup attempt has seen around 26,000 people arrested across Turkey. Senior business figures as well as military, police, judges, prosecutors and teachers have been among those targeted.

At least 240 people were killed in the coup attempt, which the government has said was organized by the followers of U.S.-based preacher Fetullah Gulen.

Gulen is also accused of leading a long-running campaign to overthrow the Turkish government through the infiltration of state institutions, particularly the military, police and judiciary, forming what is commonly known as the parallel state.