ISTANBUL - A total of 21 people have been detained within the scope of Ergenekon investigation so far, officials from the prosecutor`s office said on Tuesday.
The officials said three more people have been wanted within the scope of the same investigation.
Police waged operations in several provinces including Ankara and Istanbul and detained 21 people.
Earlier in the day, several Turkish figures including retired Gen. Hursit Tolon; Ankara representative of Cumhuriyet daily Mustafa Balbay; chairperson of Ankara Chamber of Commerce (ATO) Sinan Aygun and Kemalist Thought Association (ADD) head retired Gen. Sener Eruygur, were taken into custody.
The criminal network that calls itself "Ergenekon" was revealed after police seized hand grenades, TNT explosives and fuses in a shanty house in Istanbul on June 12th, 2007 and Istanbul Chief Prosecutor`s Office launched an investigation into weapons.
Within the framework of the investigation, a retired non-commissioned officer Oktay Yildirim and owner of the shanty house Mehmet Demirtas were detained. On June 19th, 2007 a retired officer Muzaffer Tekin and retired non-commissioned officer Mahmut Ozturk were arrested.
Forty-five people including retired general Veli Kucuk; Dogu Perincek, the chairman of the Workers` Party; party`s secretary general Nusret Senem; lawyer Kemal Kerincsiz; retired officer Fikret Emek; Sevgi Erenerol, the spokesperson of the Turkish Orthodox Patriarchate; "Susurluk case convict" Sami Hostan; associate professors Umit Sayin and Emin Gurses were also arrested.
Former president of Istanbul University Kemal Alemdaroglu and Ilhan Selcuk, the columnist of Turkish daily newspaper Cumhuriyet, were detained but later released.
(EÖ)