Guns that went missing during July 2016 coup attempt in Turkey being sought: Minister

Rifat BAŞARAN - ANKARA

Some weapons belonging to the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) went missing during the July 2016 coup attempt in Turkey and are now being searched for, Turkish Defense Minister Nurettin Canikli has said.

In an answer to a parliamentary question submitted by main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) Deputy Parliament Speaker Yaşar Tüzün over the lost weapons, Canikli said a number of weapons and ammunitions belonging to the TSK went missing on the night of the coup attempt of July 15, 2016.

He added that officials were searching for them across Turkey but did not comment on the number or the type of the missing weapons.

“Officials are currently searching for the lost ammunitions across the country after registering them in the system of the Department of Smuggling, Intelligence, Operations and Information Gathering, which works within the Interior Ministry. Meanwhile, judicial authorities are also carrying out an investigation into the issue,” Canikli said. 

He added that a total of 8,570 members have been dismissed from the TSK as of Nov. 3, 2017 over alleged links to the Fethullahist Terrorist Organization (FETÖ). 

FETÖ, under the leadership of the U.S.-based Islamic preacher Fethullah Gülen, is widely believed to have orchestrated the coup attempt, which killed 250 people and injured nearly 2,200.

Ankara also accuses FETÖ of being behind a long-running campaign to overthrow the government through the infiltration of institutions, particularly the military, the police and the judiciary.