Police detain 23 in Ergenekon probe

Security forces yesterday detained 23 more people as part of the continuing Ergenekon probe, officials from the prosecutor's office said yesterday. Police carried out operations in several provinces, including Ankara and Istanbul. Retired Gen. Hursit Tolon, Cumhuriyet daily Ankara representative Mustafa Balbay, Ankara Chamber of Commerce (ATO) head Sinan Aygun, and the head of Kemalist Thought Association (ADD), retired Gen. Sener Eruygur, were among those taken into custody. The alleged criminal network was unearthed after police seized hand grenades, TNT, and detonators in a shanty house in Istanbul over a year ago, and the Istanbul Chief Prosecutor's Office launched an investigation. Since then, many people have been detained and interrogated by security forces. A retired colonel and Ufuk Buyukcelebi, the editor in chief of Halka ve Olaylara Tercuman daily, were also apprehended in Antalya and Istanbul. Police searched Buyukcelebi's office and seized a number of documents.