MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Total of 149 officers including seven generals involved in the summer coup attempt in Turkey are still on the run, local media reported Sunday citing Turkish Defense Minister Fikri Isik.
According to the Hurriyet newspaper, among 149 fugitives there are 21 sergeants, 120 officers, seven generals and one school cadet.
On July 15, 2016, a military coup attempt, which was suppressed by the government on the next day, took place in Turkey. Since July, Turkish authorities have arrested thousands of military personnel, activists and journalists on suspicion of links with the Islamic preacher Fethullah Gulen and his followers, who were blamed for masterminding the attempt.
Some of the servicemen are now hiding in Germany and Greece, where they have applied for asylum. In January, Greece refused to extradite eight Turkish officers that had allegedly participated in the coup attempt.