(AKI) - Turkish police discovered explosives, bombs and arms in a suburb of the capital Ankara early on Friday allegedly related to the shadowy Ergenekon organisation and its bid to topple the Islamic-rooted government. Media reports say the search was conducted on a vacant property after a sketch was found at the home of Ibrahim Sahin, an Ergenekon suspect. Three shoulder missile launchers, TNT molds and plastic explosives were found in two separate bags, Turkish media reports said.
Sahin was among the 37 people detained on Wednesday in the latest wave of arrests linked to the Ergenekon operation. Three retired generals and active military officers were among those arrested for their suspected links to the right-wing group.
Turkey's military chief met prime minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and president Abdullah Gul on Thursday to discuss the latest detentions.
In a statement, the general staff said separate talks between armed forces commander General Ilker Basbug, Erdogan and Gul had centred on Wednesday's detentions. The military, which has unseated four governments in the last 50 years, has denied any link to the group, known as Ergenekon.
A total of 86 people including retired army officers, politicians and lawyers, are facing trial over allegations they were planning a coup attempt.
Sahin, the former head of the Turkish anti-terrorist Special Forces was tried in Turkey's infamous Susurluk case that became one of the most crucial scandals in the country's political history. In the late 1990s, the Susurluk case, aimed at unveiling a shadowy illegal organisation, known as "the deep-state", began after a traffic accident involving a parliamentarian, a police official and a fugitive. The case uncovered the mysterious relationship between the country's Mafia, police and political figures.