Turkish media say police have seized documents indicating a group ofsecular activists planned a coup to unseat the Islamic-leaninggovernment.
Turkish newspapers said Thursday that authoritiesuncovered the coup plot during raids on suspected members of hardlinesecularist network Ergenekon.
They say the suspects planned tostage illegal protests across Turkey on July 7, carry outassassinations and trigger battles with security forces.
Turkishpolice detained 21 suspected members of the network Tuesday. Oppositiongroups criticized the arrests, calling them part of a governmentcampaign to intimidate critics. Ruling party official Dengir Mir MehmetFirat rejected the accusation and said the government is actingaccording to its obligations.
In another development, Turkey'sdeputy prime minister defended the ruling AK (Justice and Development)Party in court Thursday against charges that it seeks to undermine thenation's secular system. Prosecutors want the Islamist-rooted party tobe banned.
Deputy prime minister Cemil Cicek said he told theConstitutional Court that the charges against his party have no legalmerit. He said he urged the judges to make a speedy decision on thecase because it is affecting the governance of the country.
Turkey'schief prosecutor, Abdurrahman Yalcinkaya, presented his case to thecourt Tuesday, arguing that the AK party is trying to turn Turkey intoan Islamic state. The party denies the accusation.
Yalcinkayahas called for 70 AK party members, including Prime Minister RecepTayyip Erdogan and President Abdullah Gul, to be barred from politics.