Mayor of Ankara: Pilot who shot down Russian plane last year participated in coup attempt
According to the Mayor of Ankara, Melih Gökçek, one of the participants of the coup attempt in Turkey was the pilot of the F-16 fighter that shot down a Russian Su-24 frontline bomber over the Turkish-Syrian border in November of last year, RBC reported.
While many of the details of Friday night’s coup attempt in Turkey remain unclear, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has insinuated that Fethullah Gulen, a powerful US-based Muslim cleric, is behind the coup attempt.
At least 161 people were killed and more than 1,400 injured as a result of what Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim called a "black stain on Turkish democracy".
Turkish authorities stated that 2,839 soldiers, including high-ranking officers, have been arrested.
Reports suggest that F-16 fighter jets were active in the coup attempt, and may have even dropped bombs on Ankara.
The Russian Su-24 was shot down by a Turkish F-16 over the Turkish-Syrian border in November of last year. The incident led to a deterioration of relations between Ankara and Moscow. Recently, however, Erdoğan issued an apology to Russian President Vladimir Putin, which has led to an improvement in relations between the two countries.