Some newspapers around the world expressed support for the arrests of military officials suspected in the alleged "Sledgehammer" plot to overthrow the Turkish government and the investigation drew support from Italy, while U.S. officials said they were not concerned about the new developments.
Italian Minister of Foreign Affairs Franco Frattini said Europe should support the investigation.The Italian newspaper La Repubblica said Fratinni remarked after a European Council Meeting that the EU should lend its support to the Turkish government.
"We did not address the issue during our meeting, but we are really concerned with the news that has reached here. If those allegations are true, the European Union should lend its full support to Erdogan,” he said.
The Daily Telegraph in the United Kimgdom called the arrest of military leaders "a stark reversal of fortune" after four coups since 1960.
While The Times remarked that "what is striking about the alleged Sledgehammer plotters is the total impunity with which they went about their business," and added that "in this light it is hard to overestimate the importance of yesterday’s detentions of two former forces chiefs, including General Ornek, in connection with Sledgehammer."
The Times said that even if the investigation does not result in formal charges, the arrests "represent an assault on the longstanding mentality that planning to get rid of a government with tanks and guns is not a crime."
The Wall Street Journal stated that "Many Turks see the case as a long overdue effort to bring into account unelected officials who carried out coups, assassinations and repression with impunity over a period of decades."
The U.S. State Department reacted cautiously. A spokesman said Washington had no concerns about the arrests and added that, "Obviously, any action taken should be in accord with Turkish law and should, you know, be transparent."
World Reaction To Sledgehammer Arrests
News of the Sledgehammer plot is being met around the world with mixed reaction. Some places like Italy are offering support of the investigation while others places like the US are not concerned with the issue.