Turkish military attaches, diplomats run from post-coup inquiry
Turkey’s Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said two Turkish military attaches in Greece (a naval and an army officer) had fled by car and ferry to Italy and a military attaché in Kuwait also tried to escape through Saudi Arabia, but had been sent back. He also said two generals in Afghanistan had been caught in Dubai and returned to Turkey.
Speaking on private broadcaster NTV, Cavusoglu said: “There are those who have escaped. There have been escapees among our diplomats as well. As of yesterday, time has run out for those initially called back. We will carry out the legal operations for those who have not returned.”
As reported by the Reuters news agency, the hunt for fugitive Turkish officers and officials overseas expands the crackdown at home, where tens of thousands of troops, police and bureaucrats have been detained, dismissed or investigated for alleged links to the July 15 failed coup, which authorities blame on US-based cleric Fethullah Gulen.
Meanwhile, the Greek foreign ministry said the two attaches fled before Ankara asked them to return to Turkey, and before officials cancelled their diplomatic passports.
One Turkish official said the foreign ministry sent instructions to Turkish diplomatic missions around the world where those suspected of links to the plotters were thought to be working, ordering them back to Ankara as part of the investigations.
Five employees of Turkey’s embassy in the Ne
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