2 army officers released in July 15 coup probe

By Volkan Kasik and Emrah Gokmen

MALATYA, Turkey (AA) - A Turkish court on Saturday ordered the release of two army officers in an ongoing case of the deadly coup attempt last July.

Second Army Chief of Staff Avni Angun and Lieut, Haci Eyyip Ozcan were released under judicial control.

The hearings of 76 defendants, 26 are in custody, continues at the First Heavy Penal Court in the eastern province of Malatya.

They face charges of membership in the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO), and involvement in the coup attempt that killed 249 victims and injured nearly 2,200 others.

The trial was adjourned until April 3 and the court will hear Turkish military chief Gen. Hulusi Akar as a witness.

FETO, led by U.S.-based Fetullah Gulen, is accused of orchestrating the July 15, 2016, failed coup plot as well as being behind a long-running campaign to overthrow the state by infiltrating institutions, particularly the military, police and the judiciary.