ISTANBUL, Dec. 22 (Xinhua) -- An Istanbul prosecutor on Friday demanded aggravated life sentences for 159 soldiers accused of attempts to seize the city's Ataturk airport during a coup bid last year, local media reported.
The defendants were charged with allegations of attempting to overthrow the Turkish government and the parliament, being members of a terror group, deliberate murder and violating the Constitution, said a Daily Sabah report.
According to the indictment, the soldiers tried to seize the control tower of the airport and halt the flights as the putsch started on the night of July 15 last year, but failed after Turkish citizens flocked to the airport to resist their attempt.
The soldiers are accused of having links with a movement led by Fethullah Gulen, a U.S.-based Turkish cleric blamed for the coup attempt, in which 250 people were killed.
