ANKARA – Agence France-Presse

Turkish authorities detained prominent journalist Ahmet Altan late on Sept. 22, less than 24 hours after he was released in connection with a probe into an attempted coup on July 15.

Altan was initially freed before dawn on Sept. 22 while the Istanbul court arrested his academic brother, Professor Mehmet Altan.

But the journalist was detained again after an arrest warrant was issued late on Sept. 22.

Hours earlier, the court placed Mehmet Altan under arrest on charges of “attempting to remove the government or attempting to obstruct its work.”

He was also charged with “being a member of a terrorist organization,” referring to the movement of U.S.-based Islamic preacher Fethullah Gülen, who is accused of masterminding the failed coup attempt.

The Altan brothers were first detained on Sept. 10 and were two of the most high-profile figures detained after the coup attempt on July 15.

Their case sparked an international campaign for their release with famous writers criticizing the government.
Altan now faces the same accusations in the warrant issued prior to his detention.

His brief freedom came after almost 12 hours in court in a marathon overnight hearing.

The pair were detained over comments in a talk show on the Can Erzincan TV channel on July 14, the eve of the coup which contained “subliminal” messages that the coup was imminent.

The broadcaster, seen by the authorities as pro-Gülen, has since been shut down.

September/23/2016