Ankara (AFP) - Turkey on Monday opened the biggest trial yet over the failed July coup aimed at ousting President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, trying 270 suspects including, in absentia, the alleged mastermind Fethullah Gulen.

The suspects, 152 of whom are in pre-trial detention, include ex high-ranking military officials like former Aegean Army Command Chief of Staff Major General Memduh Hakbilen, the state news agency Anadolu reported.

Also going on trial was ex-NATO Land Commander Chief of Staff Major General Salih Sevil.

The "number one" suspect is US-based Islamic preacher Gulen who is charged with ordering the failed July 15 coup, an accusation he strongly denies.

Ankara also accuses the movement Gulen leads of being a "terror organisation" although the group insists it is a peaceful organisation promoting moderate Islam.

Those on trial in the western city of Izmir face multiple charges including being a member of the "armed terror group".

Turkey has repeatedly asked the United States to extradite Gulen, who has been living in self-imposed exile there since 1999.

The previous administration of Barack Obama had insisted that a possibly slow legal process should take its course but Ankara is hoping for a more eager response to its extradition request from new President Donald Trump.

Gulen previously went on trial in absentia in January last year over corruption allegations that hit Erdogan in 2013.

The Turkish justice ministry also sent new evidence to Washington for Gulen's return including the indictment for the Izmir case, Anadolu reported on Monday.

The indictment includes witness statements alleging that Gulen was to be presented with the plans for the coup by Adil Oksuz for his approval, the agency added.

Turkish officials have said that theology lecturer Oksuz was the so-called "imam" of the plot and in charge of coordinating between Gulen and the army.

Oksuz was detained in the aftermath of the coup but then released and is now on the run.

- 'Izmir: main plotting hub' -

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Other charges against the suspects include seeking to prevent parliament performing its duty as well as attempting to remove the constitutional order, the agency said.

The suspects face life imprisonment if convicted in a trial expected to take two months, the Hurriyet newspaper reported.

It said Izmir was believed to be one of the main plotting hubs of the coup with the Aegean city used as a "logistical base".

Memduh was apparently to be declared Izmir's "martial law commander" by the putschists, Anadolu reported at the time.

A special courtroom was built to accommodate the size of the trial and security was tight.

Intensive security measures included a drone above the courthouse, bomb-sniffing dogs and commando units.

Previous trials have opened in Istanbul and smaller cases in other provinces in what is expected to be the largest legal process in the country's history.

Some 43,000 people are under arrest ahead of trial in a large-scale crackdown within a state of emergency declared after the coup which remains in place.

On Monday, 10 more soldiers were arrested in connection with the Gulen movement, Anadolu reported.

In December, 29 police officers went on trial in Istanbul accused of failing to defend Erdogan while 62 rebel soldiers are being tried over claims they attempted to take over Istanbul's Sabiha Gokcen Airport on the night of July 15.</s>Ankara: Turkey yesterday opened the biggest trial yet over the failed July coup aimed at ousting President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, trying 270 suspects including, in absentia, the alleged mastermind Fethullah Gulen.

The "number one" suspect is US-based Islamic preacher Gulen, who is charged with ordering the failed coup.</s>A Turkish soldier opened fire outside the main courthouse in the Turkish capital Ankara on Monday before being detained, a presidency official said, adding that no casualties had been reported.

Tensions are running high in Turkey following a failed military coup late on Friday which resulted in the deaths of more than 290 people. Turkish authorities say they now have the situation fully under control but say there is still a small number of soldiers at large who backed the failed coup.</s>Turkish fighter jets shot down a military helicopter over the capital Ankara that was being used by plotters attempting a coup, broadcaster NTV said on Saturday.

Separately, Turkey's state-run Anadolu news agency said 17 police were killed at special forces headquarters in Ankara. Reuters was not immediately able to confirm that report.</s>A military helicopter opened fire over the Turkish capital Ankara, a Reuters witness said, as witnesses heard an explosion in the capital after the military announced that it had launched a coup to take over the government.

The military earlier said in a statement it was taking control of the government in order to return it to democracy. President Tayyip Erdogan and government officials have said the coup lacks broad support within the military. Erdogan has called on his supporters to take to the streets in defiance.</s>NATO said on Wednesday that Turkey's membership was not in question and that Ankara could count on its solidarity and support after last month's failed coup, which has triggered deep purges in the alliance's second largest armed forces.

"Turkey is a valued ally, making substantial contributions to NATO's joint efforts ... Turkey’s NATO membership is not in question," the military alliance said in a written statement.

The abortive coup on July 15, in which rogue soldiers commandeered tanks, fighter jets and helicopters in a bid to seize power, has raised concern about the stability of Turkey, a key member of the U.S.-led coalition fighting Islamic State and battling an insurgency at home by Kurdish militants.

Turkey has been incensed by the Western response to the attempted coup, viewing Europe as more concerned about the rights of the plotters than the events themselves and the United States as reluctant to extradite the U.S.-based Turkish cleric it holds responsible.

President Tayyip Erdogan meanwhile met his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in St Petersburg on Tuesday and said Putin's rapid phone call expressing solidarity after the failed putsch had been a "psychological boost".</s>Ankara: Turkey on Monday opened the biggest trial yet over the failed July coup aimed at ousting President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, trying 270 suspects including, in absentia, the alleged mastermind Fethullah Gulen.

The suspects, 152 of whom are in pre-trial detention, include ex high-ranking military officials like former Aegean Army Command Chief of Staff Major General Memduh Hakbilen, the state news agency Anadolu reported.

The "number one" suspect is US-based Islamic preacher Gulen who is charged with ordering the failed July 15 coup, an accusation he strongly denies.

Ankara also accuses the movement Gulen leads of being a "terror organisation" although the group insists it is a peaceful organisation promoting moderate Islam.

Those on trial in the western city of Izmir face multiple charges including being a member of the "armed terror group".

Turkey has repeatedly asked the United States to extradite Gulen, who has been living in exile there since 1999.

The previous administration of Barack Obama had insisted that a possibly slow legal process should take its course but Ankara is hoping for a more eager response to its extradition request from new President Donald Trump.

Other charges against the suspects include seeking to prevent parliament performing its duty as well as attempting to remove the constitutional order, the agency said.

The suspects face life imprisonment if convicted in a trial expected to take two months, the Hurriyet newspaper reported.

It said Izmir was believed to be one of the main plotting hubs of the coup with the Aegean city used as a "logistical base".

A special courtroom was built to accommodate the size of the trial and security was tight ahead of the hearing.

Intensive security measures included a drone above the courthouse, bomb-sniffing dogs and commando units.

Previous trials have opened in Istanbul and smaller cases in other provinces in what is expected to be the largest legal process in the country's history.

Some 43,000 people are under arrest ahead of trial in a large-scale crackdown within a state of emergency declared after the coup which remains in place.

In December, 29 police officers went on trial in Istanbul accused of failing to defend Erdogan while 62 rebel soldiers are being tried over claims they attempted to take over Istanbul's Sabiha Gokcen Airport on the night of July 15.</s>Western leaders have pledged support for Turkish democracy since the July 15 coup attempt but have also expressed concern over the scale of purges against supporters of the coup and of the U.S.-based Muslim cleric Ankara says was behind it.

"We are very surprised that our allies have not come to Turkey to visit even after one week has passed," Omur Celik, the minister for European Union affairs, told reporters in Ankara.

Celik added that NATO needed to collaborate with Turkey, a reference in part to the struggle against Islamic State militants in Turkey's southern neighbours Syria and Iraq.

Turkey has the second biggest armed forces in NATO and is also negotiating to join the European Union.</s>Istanbul: Turkey on Thursday issued an arrest warrant for eight former army officers who fled to neighbouring Greece after the failed July 15 coup, the state-run Anadolu news agency reported.

The Istanbul court approved a request from prosecutors for the warrant, shortly after Greece’s Supreme Court refused to extradite the former officers sought by Ankara over their alleged role in the attempted putsch.

The Greek court blocked the extradition of the former officers — two commanders, four captains and two sergeants — on grounds they would not be subjected to a fair trial in Turkey.

And it ordered their release from police custody.

Since the failed coup, Turkey has sacked or dismissed thousands of members of the military, some of whom have sought asylum in other Nato countries.

Turkish authorities have blamed US-based Muslim preacher Fethullah Gulen for the coup bid and responded with a vast crackdown to clean state institutions and the army of his followers.

The extradition bid has become a source of friction between Ankara and Athens, with Greek foreign ministry officials holding closed-door talks with their Turkish counterparts in Ankara, the private NTV television reported.

Earlier this month, reports in the Turkish media said the fugitive soldiers were linked to the squad which tried to assassinate Erdogan on the night of the coup, citing judicial sources.</s>Since the failed coup, Turkey has sacked or dismissed thousands of members of the military, some of whom have sought asylum in other Nato countries.

Turkish authorities have blamed US-based Muslim preacher Fethullah Gulen for the coup bid and responded with a vast crackdown to clean state institutions and the army of his followers. The extradition bid has become a source of friction between Ankara and Athens, with Greek foreign ministry officials holding closed-door talks with their Turkish counterparts in Ankara, the private NTV television reported. Earlier this month, reports in the Turkish media said the fugitive soldiers were linked to the squad which tried to assassinate Erdogan on the night of the coup, citing judicial sources.
In Ankara, the Turkish government opens the trial of 270 suspects charged in July's failed coup in Ankara. The defendants include, in absentia, the alleged mastermind Fethullah Gülen, former NATO Chief of Staff Major General Salih Sevil, and other high-ranking military officials.