UPDATE - Turkey summons German envoy over spy chief's comments

UPDATES WITH EU MINISTER'S COMMENTS

By Sultan Cogalan

ANKARA (AA) - The German charge d’affaires was summoned to the Foreign Ministry in Ankara on Tuesday following the remarks by his country’s intelligence chief.

Last weekend, Bruno Kahl, the head of the Federal Intelligence Service, told Der Spiegel news magazine that Germany had yet to be convinced of the Fetullah Terrorist Organization’s involvement in last July’s failed coup.

Ankara has said the organization, known as FETO, was behind the attempted coup that resulted in 249 deaths.

“All evidence consisting of detainees’ statements, records of communication before and after the coup attempt and the FETO-linked civilians caught at Akincilar air base lay forth the relationship between the putschists and FETO,” the Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

Later, EU Minister Omer Celik told broadcaster Haber Turk that Kahl’s statement indicated Germany would protect a group that Turkey, a NATO ally, considered a terrorist organization.

He also described Kahl’s comments as “strange” as intelligence chiefs usually avoided the spotlight.