Erdogan says government knows 'puppet master' behind reported conspiracy
The Turkish leader said it is unacceptable to break laws, and warned that "anyone who goes beyond the limits will be held accountable"
ISTANBUL, May 15. /TASS/. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the government is aware of who is behind the so-called police officers' case, which is linked to a conspiracy among some law enforcement officials.
"We know very well the puppet master and who wrote this play," he said at a meeting of the ruling Justice and Development Party’s faction in parliament, without elaborating.
Erdogan said it is unacceptable to break laws, and warned that "anyone who goes beyond the limits will be held accountable."
"We once challenged the scoundrels from FETO who holed up in the police, the judiciary and the military. We will continue to stand firm against them. Our state is stronger than ever," Erdogan stated.
The pro-government Sabah newspaper reported that Erdogan held a meeting with the head of Turkey's National Intelligence Organization, Ibrahim Kalin, and Justice Minister Yilmaz Tunc on the evening of May 14. It followed an allegation on the same day by Devlet Bahceli, an ally of the Turkish president in the ruling People’s Alliance and leader of the Nationalist Movement Party, that a group of individuals in the Ankara Security Directorate and the justice system were plotting a conspiracy jointly with FETO, the organization that the government accuses of involvement in the 2016 coup attempt. The reason for this was an operation by security services against the criminal organization Ayhan Bora Kaplan, which resulted in detentions of high-ranking police officers on suspicion of "conspiracy to commit a crime," among other things.
Turkish Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya issued a statement on Wednesday saying that some forces are taking action against the president and the government. Yerlikaya also said that the results of the investigation into the "police officers' case" will be presented to the public in the near future.
Justice Ministry, Yilmaz Tunc told reporters that the investigation is ongoing and asked to wait for its completion.