Report: 18 more Turkish officers detained

An armed police officer stands at the entrance of the presidential palace before a rare meeting between President Abdullah Gul, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Chief of Staff Gen. Ilker Basbug, in Ankara on Thursday.

Television reports say Turkish police have detained 18 more military officers over an alleged 2003 coup plot.

CNN—Turk and Haber—Turk televisions say 17 of the officers were on active duty. They say police detained them in 13 separate cities in a nationwide sweep on Friday.

The detentions are the second wave in the largest—ever crackdown on the country’s military. Police earlier this week detained 49 officers, and a Turkish court has so far charged and jailed 31 of them so for plotting to overthrow the country’s Islamic—rooted government.