Turkish court charges 9 in coup plot case

Ankara: Turkey's state-run news agency says a court has charged nine people with being part of an alleged secularist plot to bring down the Islamic-rooted government.

The Anatolia news agency says the suspects include a former police chief who was among some 40 people detained last week in the latest raid of a continuing investigation into suspected nationalist hardliners.

Prosecutors say the alleged plot aimed to destabilise Turkey through a series of attacks and trigger a coup in 2009.

Anatolia says all nine were charged with membership in a terrorist organisation on Sunday and ordered jailed pending trial.

Prosecutors have released some of the 40 detained last week without charge including a retired general. Eight-six people have already gone on trial.