Coup bid helicopter pilot appears in Ankara court

ANKARA

The helicopter pilot who allegedly opened fire on the state broadcaster's main offices and a military headquarters during Turkey’s July 15 coup attempt appeared in court in Ankara on Tuesday, a judicial source said.

Army Capt. Taha Fatih Celik is said to have fired on the TRT offices and the Gendarmerie General Command building in Ankara on the night of the coup, the source said.

It was unclear what exact charges he faces but the source said he was remanded in custody along with 12 others as part of the ongoing probe into the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO) said to be behind the coup attempt.

Celik’s name was mentioned earlier in evidence from Ilkay Ates, another army pilot who told prosecutors in early August that he co-piloted the Cobra attack helicopter with Celik on the night of the coup.

Tens of thousands of people have been arrested following the coup bid, which left 240 people dead and nearly 2,200 injured. The government has said the defeated coup was organized by followers of Fetullah Gulen, who has lived in self-imposed exile in the U.S. since 1999.

On Aug. 17, Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said more than 20,000 had been remanded to face trial.

*Reporting by Serdar Acil and Ismet Karakas; Writing by Burcu Arik