Turkey indicts 86 in coup plot

ISTANBUL, Turkey, July 14 (UPI) -- A Turkish prosecutor says 86 people are involved in a plot to topple the country's pro-Islamic ruling party.

Prosecutor Aykut Cengiz Engin declined to reveal the names of the alleged plotters, who were served with indictments Monday, but the move came after a wave of arrests of that included two retired senior generals, leading businessmen and journalists, the BBC reported.

The broadcaster said Engin filed the charges at an Istanbul court. Nearly 50 of the 86 indictees are in custody.

"The indictment covers crimes such as forming an armed terror group ... and attempting to overthrow the government by force," Engin said.

A shadowy ultra-nationalist group called Ergenekon is thought by some to be stockpiling arms in an attempt to preserve Turkey's secular political culture. The BBC says many Turks believe AKP members, including Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan, want to impose Islamic law on the country. AKP is the country;s ruling party.

Legal proceedings are under way by another prosecutor seeking to ban the AKP from politics because of such fears.