Monday, February 22, 2010 ANKARA: Turkish police Monday detained more than 40 people, including former air force and navy chiefs, in connection with an alleged military plot against the Islamist-rooted government, officials and media reports said. The police swoop came amid rising tensions between the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), the moderate offshoot of a banned Islamist movement, and its secularist opponents. "This morning our security forces began a detention process," Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan told a news conference during an official visit to Spain. "As of now, more than 40 people have been detained," he said, but gave no details on who was arrested. The CNN-Turk and NTV news channels said police detained former air force chief Ibrahim Firtina, former navy chief Ozden Ornek and other high-ranking officers both retired and on active service in Ankara, Istanbul, the western city of Izmir and the northwestern city of Burs...
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