According to Associated Press, World Bulletin, and other sources, the Turkish government today arrested seven suspects for plotting and inciting the murder of three Christians in 2007. The victims had distributed Christian literature in a country that is only 1% Christian. The men, Necati Aydun, Ugur Yuksel, and Tilmann Ekkehart Geske (a German national), were killed at the Zirve Publishing House in Malatya. At the time, five young men were arrested at the crime scene, yet their trial is still ongoing.
Those arrested include five military officers and two civilians. The government claims that these suspects, as well as others that have been recently arrested, were part of a coup plot begun in 2003. As part of this plot, the predominantly military suspects are thought to have incited and helped in the murders of various minorities to help create chaos and destabilize the present government. There has always been tension between the secular military and the Islamic-based government, headed by Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who came to power in 2002. The plot and investigation is called Ergenekon. The evidence used for the arrests varies according to the reports, it coming from a 2008 audio cd provided by a secret witness or a letter provided by a whistle-blower.
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