Turkey: Pilots who shot Russian jet detained
The Turkish pilots who shot down a Russian jet last November are in custody, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said.
The minister said that the pilots had been detained for their alleged links to the coup plot of July 15 and not the shooting incident itself.
Recall that Turkish warplanes shot down a Russian military aircraft on the border with Syria.
Russian President Vladimir Putin then said the Su-24 was hit by air-to-air missiles fired by Turkish F-16s while it was flying over Syrian territory.
But Turkish military officials said the plane was engaged after being warned that it was violating Turkish airspace.
Mr Putin described the incident as a “stab in the back” committed by “accomplices of terrorists”.
The crew ejected before the jet crashed in Latakia province, but Syrian rebels said at least one was dead.
It is the first time a Russian aircraft has crashed in Syria since Moscow launched air strikes against opponents of President Bashar al-Assad in late September.
However, Putin and Erdogan of Turkey were in a closed door meeting recently to redefine their relations
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