DUBAI – Saudi authorities have detained the Turkish military attache toKuwait for his suspected involvement in a foiled coup against the rule ofPresident Recep Tayyip Erdogan, local media reported on Monday.

The attache, identified as Mikail Gullu, was arrested at an airport in theeastern Saudi city of Dammam as he attempted to board a flight to Germany,the reports said.

“Saudi authorities are holding the military attache for the Turkish embassyin Kuwait,” the kingdom’s Asharq Al-Awsat daily reported, quoting what itdescribed as a foreign diplomatic source.

“He was stopped based on a Turkish request and was detained during hisattempt to flee over his likely links to the coup in Turkey,” the dailyreported.

The Saudi-owned Al-Arabiya news channel confirmed the report from “Saudisources” adding that Gullu was heading to Dusseldorf in Germany viaAmsterdam.

Kuwait’s Al-Qabas daily said that Gullu had fled Kuwait by land to SaudiArabia.

Turkey’s ambassador in Kuwait Salih Morat Tamer told Al-Qabas that Gullu issuspected of involvement in the coup attempt but stressed that “accusationsagainst him are yet to be investigated once he is handed over to Turkey.”

Judges and military commanders are among 6,000 people arrested over theweekend as Erdogan vowed to stamp out the “virus” of the coup plotters.

Erdogan has blamed Friday’s putsch on his arch-enemy, US-based clericFethullah Gulen. – Agencies