Two former Turkish navy commandos accused of taking part in an assassination attempt against Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan are being kept in a secret and high-security location in Greece, the Turkish news agency Anadolu reported on Monday.
According to the semi-official agency, Halit Cetin and Fatih Arik were freed last week from custody after their maximum 18-month remand, without trial, expired. Nevertheless, Greek authorities moved them to a secure location until their asylum requests are considered by independent judicial authorities.
The pair reportedly fled over the border to Greece and requested asylum in February 2017, several months after the failed July 2016 coup and military threat to Erdogan.
Their case is unrelated to the eight Turkish officers and NCOs that fled to Greece aboard a Turkish army medi-vac helicopter immediately after the coup in Turkey was snuffed out. Asylum requests have already been granted to the eight Turks at the first instance level. They were freed but still remain under police protection in Greece.
