Turkey detains admirals who criticised giant Istanbul canal

Turkey has detained 10 retired admirals after they openly criticised a huge Istanbul canal project championed by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Those held were among 104 retired admirals who signed an open letter warning against withdrawal from an international treaty governing use of the strategic Bosphorus Strait.

The strait, crowded with shipping, is the only waterway linking the Black Sea to the Mediterranean.

The planned canal is an alternative.

The 10 admirals have been charged with "agreeing to commit a crime against the security of the state and the constitutional order". 

That puts them in a similar category to the many military figures prosecuted for the 2016 botched coup attempt against President Erdogan. 

"Stay where you are… This nation showed how they defeated putschists to everyone on 15 July [2016]. Know your place!" presidential spokesman Fahrettin Altun tweeted angrily, responding to the retired admirals' letter.

Some Turkish opposition politicians accused the government of "coup paranoia".