Nearly 800 coup suspects detained by Istanbul courts

ISTANBUL

Nearly 800 suspected coup participants have been remanded in custody by courts in Istanbul, prosecutors said Wednesday, with an unknown number detained in other cities across the country.

The 788 suspects include military personnel, police officers, teachers and civil servants who will be tried for a range of offenses such as membership of a terrorist organization, violating the constitution, attempting to overthrow the democratically-elected government and premeditated murder.

The punishment for each charge is life imprisonment without parole -- the most severe sentence under Turkish law.

The defendants all appeared before criminal courts of peace in Istanbul, prosecution sources told Anadolu Agency on condition of anonymity due to restrictions on speaking to the media.

In addition, 1,522 suspects have been arrested and sent to testify in court in Istanbul, which could then result in them being remanded in custody to face trial.

Friday’s attempted coup saw rogue elements of the military attack parliament, the presidential palace and other state institutions and led to the deaths of more than 240 people.

The government has blamed the plot of the Fetullah Terrorist Organization allegedly led by U.S.-based Fetullah Gulen, who had previously been accused of a long-standing campaign to overthrow the administration through a network of supporters in state organs.

*Anadolu Agency correspondent Humeyra Atilgan Buyukovali contributed to this report from Istanbul