11 soldiers arrested over Erdogan hotel attack

Ankara, Aug 1 (IANS) At least 11 soldiers who belonged to the group that stormed the hotel where Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan was staying during the failed coup attempt on July 15, were arrested by police on Monday.

At least nine soldiers surrendered while two were arrested later. Only one soldier from the group was on the run now, EFE news reported.

The soldiers were found in an operation in the Aegean coast in a forest about 20 km northeast of Marmaris, the seaside resort where Erdogan was staying when the coup attempt took place.

A neighbour discovered the group of soldiers while hunting wild boar and alerted the police who deployed an operation with helicopters and thermal cameras, reported CNNTurk.

A senior government official said it was known that the command was composed of 12 soldiers, so one of them remains a fugitive.

The group on July 16 morning stormed a hotel in Marmaris where, according to the president, he had left "15 minutes earlier".