Turkish military investigation rejects anti-AKP plot, ruling party suspicious

The Turkish General Staff launched last week an investigation into claims raised by Taraf daily after it ran a headline story on an alleged clandestine action plan targeting the AKP, government and all members of a religious sect named after its controversial leader, Fethullah Gulen.

"In line with the evidence we received in the investigation, we have concluded that no units of the General Staff have prepared the alleged document," the army said in a statement posted on its website.

If it is proved to be bogus, the Turkish Security Forces, or TSK, will employ every effort to uncover the individual and aim behind the preparation of this document, it added.

The Military Prosecutor's Office said in an earlier statement on Monday that the prosecutors were seeking to obtain the original copy of the document for forensic examination to reach "a definite conclusion on whether it is forged or real."

The plan, allegedly drafted by the General Staff’s operations division, is said to contain efforts to fight fundamentalism, end the activities of religious movements, particularly the ruling AKP and the Gulen movement that are accused of trying to undermine Turkey’s secular order and establish an Islamic state.

The allegations published in the paper have stirred widespread controversy among politicians and the media. The Military Prosecutor’s Office has banned all broadcasts and publication relating to the document. Taraf daily appealed to an Istanbul court Monday calling for the removal of the broadcast ban.

Gulen, Turkey's most controversial religious leader, who has close relations with the Islamist-rooted ruling party government and a broad following, has been tried on charges of plotting to dismantle the secular state.

The controversial sect leader, the author of dozens of books on religion, science and philosophy, has a strong presence in education not only in Turkey, but also in the Balkans, Central Asia and Africa. His network also includes a university, a newspaper and a number of businesses. He is currently residing in the United States.

AKP DISSATISFIED
AKP officials, however, expressed their dissatisfaction with the army's statement on Monday, a day after Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan said his government was looking into the matter and a legal case would be launched if necessary. 

Deputy parliamentary group leader of the AKP, Bekir Bozdag, told reporters that the statement should have clearly rejected or accepted the existence of a document, TV channels reported.

"It is meaningful that the army did not make any statement for four days. The prosecutors should find those involved in this crime and should begin legal proceedings immediately. This investigation is under the mandate of civil prosecutors, not the military," he added.

A senior government source also demanded on Monday an explanation from the armed forces over the alleged military plan.

"We think it is important and serious and we need to get an explanation (from the army)," the government source told Reuters. "If it is authentic we will do something about it."