Citing Turkey’s state-run Andalou news agency, The Times of Israel reported Monday that Akin Ozturk made the confession while under interrogation.
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Over 200 people died and 1,500 were wounded in the ensuing violence, and there have been mass arrests. However, Haberturk and broadcaster NTV cited what they said was his testimony to prosecutors, reporting that he denied playing a role.
“I don’t know who planned or directed it”. Akin Ozturk of being the ringleader of the coup, though he told prosecutors he did not plan or direct it.
“In the framework of the information received from MİT, Chief of the General Staff General Hulusi Akar, Land Forces Commander General Salih Zeki Çolak and the second commander of the General Staff General Yaşar Güler had held a meeting in the military headquarters at 4 p.m. on July 15”, the TAF statement read.
Earlier, the interior ministry dismissed nearly 9,000 police officers as part of a purge of officials suspected of involvement in the coup attempt.
More than 6,000 people have been arrested, including soldiers and judges, among them two members of the country’s top court.
In Brussels Monday, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said he supported bringing perpetrators of the attempted coup in Turkey to justice, but warned the government against going “too far” while restoring order in the country.
The general had earlier denied any involvement in the coup attempt and insisted he worked to stop it.
Turkey’s Western allies expressed concern at the crackdown and urged President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to respond in a measured way.
Incirlik airbase, used for the US-led coalition bombing campaign against Daesh extremists in Syria and Iraq, was again opened for operations after being shut for a day after the coup attempt.
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The ban, which included both direct flights and those from a third country, went into effect after a failed coup over the weekend.
