Trial of Erdogan Assassination Plotters Opens

A trial of almost 50 suspects accused of plotting to assassinate Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan during the botched July 15 coup opened Monday in southern Turkey. Forty-four suspects—mainly soldiers—face possible life sentences on charges that include attempted assassination, overthrow of the constitutional order and other crimes against the state during the 2016 coup attempt.

Most of them are soldiers up to the rank of brigadier general, three of them are still at large, France24 reported. The defendants are accused of attacking a hotel in the resort city of Marmaris where Erdogan was staying on the night of the coup, killing two policemen.

Erdogan had left the hotel shortly before it was stormed. Around 43,000 people have been arrested in a massive post-coup crackdown that has raised international concerns. The US-based cleric Fethullah Gulen, named as the top suspect, has vehemently denied allegations that he masterminded the coup plot or was in any way connected to the events of July 15.