TOPSHOT - People carry the coffin of Sehidmiz Murat Inci, victim of the coup attempt during his funeral ceremony, at Kocatepe Mosque in Ankara on July 18, 2016. Support from the highest echelons in the army helped keep President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in power after the failed coup but July 15's events risk further undermining the military's status as a key player in Turkish politics. Turkey has detained 103 generals and admirals as well as more than 2,800 soldiers accused of supporting July 15's attempted power grab, but most of the military's senior figures stayed loyal to Erdogan. / AFP 

KUWAIT/ISTANBUL/ANKARA: Saudi authorities have detained the Turkish military attache to Kuwait for his suspected involvement in a foiled coup against the rule of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, local media reported yesterday. The attache, identified as Mikail Ihsanoglu, was arrested at an airport in the eastern Saudi city of Dammam as he attempted to board a flight to Germany, the reports said.

"Saudi authorities are holding the military attache for the Turkish embassy in Kuwait," the kingdom's Asharq Al-Awsat daily reported, quoting what it described as a foreign diplomatic source. "He was stopped based on a Turkish request and was detained during his attempt to flee over his likely links to the coup in Turkey," the daily reported. The Saudi-owned Al-Arabiya news channel confirmed the report from "Saudi sources" adding that Ihsanoglu was heading to Dusseldorf in Germany via Amsterdam. Kuwait's Al-Qabas daily said that Ihsanoglu had fled Kuwait by land to Saudi Arabia.

Turkish ambassador to Kuwait Murad Tameer speaks during a press conference at the Turkish embassy in Kuwait City, on July 18, 2016. Saudi authorities have detained the Turkish military attache to Kuwait for his suspected involvement in a foiled coup against the rule of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, local media reported July 18. The attache, identified as Mikail Gullu, was arrested at an airport in the eastern Saudi city of Dammam as he attempted to board a flight to Germany, the reports said. -AFP / YASSER AL-ZAYYAT

Turkey's Ambassador to Kuwait Salih Murat Tamer told a press conference at the Turkish Embassy yesterday that "accusations against him are yet to be investigated, once he is handed over to Turkey". "Ihsanoglu has not come to work since two days, and we heard that he is out of country, but this does not mean he is a suspect. No one can confirm or deny if he with the coup or not," he said.

Erdogan has blamed Friday's putsch on his archenemy, US-based cleric Fethullah Gulen. "We are dealing with a smart terrorist organization led by Gulen. He is manipulating people's minds by denying his involvement in the coup - the devil will not admit he is a devil. They are like a cancer, and we have started to clean it up. They will now think twice before attempting any coup," Tamer told reporters. "We cannot force the US to hand over Gulen because every country has its system. We have good relations with America in fighting IS," he added.

Tamer stated that the violence is not the answer, "What came with elections goes with elections. Throughout the process, all political parties and members of the Turkish parliament and the people stood firmly by democracy, democratic institutions and the constitution. A joint declaration in defense of democracy was issued during the extraordinary meeting of the general assembly on July 16," he said.

Tamer said that the Turkish Embassy since Jan 2016 is receiving visa applications by Syrians, Iraqis and other nationalities by filling an online form. "The citizens of these countries are our friends and brothers, but they will only be granted visas online. People have to fill the application and come to the embassy on the date mentioned online," he said, pointing out that this decision was to limit immigration to Turkey.

Omar Al-Tahan, Turkish Airlines' director of corporate and regional marketing, said the carrier will deal with any problems regarding tickets for July 15, 16 and 17, and anyone who has a problem will be provided fresh tickets. He added Turkish Airlines will help Kuwait Airways evacuate all Kuwaitis who want to return from Turkey. Tahan stressed that everything is back to normal and the carrier has returned to work at Ataturk Airport in Istanbul.

Meanwhile, Turkey launched fresh raids and sacked almost 9,000 officials yesterday in a relentless crackdown against suspected coup plotters that has alarmed the West and sparked fears Ankara could reinstate the death penalty. Erdogan has vowed to wipe out the "virus" of the putschists after facing down Friday's dramatic coup bid that left more than 300 people dead.

But the United States and European Union have sternly warned him against excessive retribution as the authorities round up the alleged perpetrators of the attempted power grab. Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said over 7,500 people have been detained so far, including 103 generals and admirals, in the investigation into Friday's coup. The interior ministry said almost 9,000 people, including almost 8,000 police but also municipal governors and other officials, had also been dismissed in a widening purge.

Early yesterday, special Istanbul anti-terror police units raided the prestigious air force military academy, detaining four suspects, the state-run Anadolu news agency reported. Authorities have also detained General Mehmet Disli, who conducted the operation to capture chief-of-staff Hulusi Akar during the standoff, an official said. The 103 generals detained are accused of seeking to violate the constitution and attempting to overthrow the authorities by force, as well as belonging to what the authorities call the Fethullahci Terror Organisation (FETO) led by Gulen.

Erdogan has urged citizens to remain on the streets even after the defeat of the coup, in what the authorities describe as a "vigil" for democracy. Public servants' annual leave has meanwhile been cancelled until further notice. With Turkey's big cities still on edge, Turkish security forces killed an armed attacker who shot at them from a vehicle outside the Ankara courthouse where suspects from the failed coup were appearing before judges.

Western leaders have urged Turkey to follow the rule of law in the wake of the coup bid, with the massive retaliatory purge adding to concerns about human rights and democracy in the NATO member state. Responding to the criticism, Yildirim said the plotters would be brought to account but Turkey would "act within the law". But the divisive Erdogan added fuel to the fire Sunday when he told supporters that Turkey could consider reintroducing the death penalty which it had abolished in 2004 as part of its longstanding EU membership bid. "We cannot ignore this demand," he told a chanting crowd outside his house in Istanbul late on Sunday. "In democracies, whatever the people say has to happen."

EU foreign affairs chief Federica Mogherini responded bluntly yesterday. "Let me be very clear... no country can become an EU state if it introduces the death penalty," she said. Yildirim said it would be wrong to "act in haste", calling for a parliamentary debate on the issue. There has also been concern about the nature of the arrests which have appeared aimed at humiliating the suspects. Meanwhile, a Greek court will Thursday decide the fate of eight Turkish military officers who fled across the border by helicopter after the failed coup in Turkey and who Ankara wants to see extradited.

Erdogan has long accused Gulen of running a "parallel state" in Turkey, and urged Obama to extradite the reclusive preacher from the United States to face justice. The 75-year-old preacher has categorically denied any involvement in the plot and suggested it could have been staged by Erdogan himself. Kerry said he had urged his Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu to "send us evidence, not allegations." Yildirim rejected that demand. "We would be disappointed if our (American) friends told us to present proof even though members of the assassin organization are trying to destroy an elected government under the directions of that person," Yildirim said. "At this stage there could even be a questioning of our friendship," he added.

In another development, Turkish prosecutors have started searching a key air base in southern Turkey, used by the United States for air raids on the Islamic State group, for evidence Turkish troops there assisted the coup.

By Faten Omar and Agencies