Erdogan assassination plotters to face trial in Feb.

ISTANBUL

A court will hear the case of 47 suspects who attempted to assassinate President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on the night of the July 15 coup attempt.

The Chief Public Prosecutor of Marmaris, Mehmet Demirel said Tuesday that the suspects would appear at the Mugla Second Heavy Penal Court on Feb. 20.

The attempt left two police officers martyred, Demirel added.

President Erdogan on Oct. 17 filed a complaint against the alleged members of a squad who attempted to assassinate him on the night of the July 15 coup attempt.

The president, who was vacationing in southwestern Mugla province at the time, had departed for Istanbul after being alerted about the coup bid and narrowly escaped an armed attack on the hotel he was staying at in Marmaris. The hotel was bombed 15 minutes after his departure.

"As part of the July 15 coup attempt by Fetullah Terrorist Organization members, the suspects organized a military operation against our President on the same night when he was in Marmaris," said the petition filed by Erdogan's lawyer.

The suspects attempted to assassinate Erdogan in accordance with the orders of the terrorist organization's leader residing in the U.S., the petition said, referring to Fetullah Gulen.

"It is obvious that the suspects not only aimed to assassinate the President and violate the Constitution, but they also attempted to undermine the state's independence and unity by creating chaos across Turkey," it added.

The suspects are charged with attempting to assassinate the Turkish President, violating the Constitution, undermining the unity and integrity of the state, and being members of a terrorist organization.

Turkey accuses Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO), which is led by U.S.-based Fetullah Gulen, of organizing the defeated coup as well as a long-running campaign to overthrow the state through the infiltration of Turkish institutions, particularly the military, police, and judiciary.