US-based Turkish navy officer 'missing' after coup
ANKARA- Two Turkish military attaches working in Greece have fled the country for Italy after the failed military coup attempt, Turkey's foreign minister said Thursday, while reports said a naval officer based in the US has also gone missing.
Turkey has blamed the July 15 coup attempt on officers loyal to a US-based Muslim cleric who it says have infiltrated the military. The government has accused the preacher, Fethullah Gulen, of orchestrating the failed insurrection. Gulen has denied any knowledge or involvement in the coup that left more than 270 dead but Turkey wants him extradited to face trial.
Mevlut Cavusoglu, the foreign minister, told NTV television that a number of Turkish military attaches abroad supported the coup and some had even notified their embassies on the night of the failed coup that they were "in charge now."
