Seven arrested for Erdogan assassination plots

The Turkish Interior Minister has revealed that seven people who had planned separately for the assassination of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan have been arrested over the past few years. Idris Naim Shahin was responding to a parliamentary question from the Deputy Leader of the opposition Republican People’s Party, Muharrem Ince.

“Plans for the assassination of Erdogan and President Abdullah Gul have been uncovered,” said Mr. Shahin. “We were able to pre-empt the attacks which were intended to sow discord in the country.” He added that the seven were detained at different times.

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One of the assassination attempts was in 2005 during Erdogan’s visit to north-west Turkey, where a suspected assassin tried to get on board the official transport. The man had a pistol hidden inside a loaf of bread: “I planned to shoot the Prime Minister; I am a nationalist and was disturbed by his words,” he told police.

On another occasion, in March 2009, a suspect carrying an unlicensed weapon was arrested when he tried to pass a checkpoint at a Justice and Development Party demonstration.