Letters allege Turkish army plot

ISTANBUL, Turkey, Nov. 16 (UPI) -- Letters claiming Turkish armed forces plotted to destroy the ruling party's government have been sent to civilian prosecutors in Istanbul, authorities say.

One of the letters, from an anonymous military officer, contained a computer disk with hundreds of files of military documents, said to be from a military investigation of the plot, Turkish newspaper Today's Zaman reported Monday.

The plot, which Turkish prosecutors suspect was initiated by Col. Dursun Cicek of the Turkish army, came to the attention of authorities in June. The Turkish military intended to undermine the authority of the ruling Justice and Development Party, the newspaper said.

Cicek was detained last week for suspected membership in a clandestine organization but was released. He had been arrested and released in July as well, authorities said.

Six military officers were in court during the weekend to testify as part of the investigation into the plot, Today's Zaman said.