Capture the pilot who shot down the Russian Su-24

Two Turkish pilots who participated in the downing of a Russian military plane last year are being held in connection with the failed coup.

Greek police escort two of the eight Turkish soldiers involved in the coup who fled to Greece by helicopter in the city of Alexandroupolis on July 17. Photo: Reuters.

"The two pilots involved in the shooting down of the Russian Su-24 aircraft in November 2015 are in custody," AFP quoted a Turkish official as saying to reporters on July 18, saying they were arrested in connection with the failed coup last weekend.

The downing of a Russian warplane on the Syrian border sparked an unprecedented diplomatic crisis between Moscow and Ankara. Tensions began to ease last month when the two countries agreed to restore ties.

Russian President Vladimir Putin called his Turkish counterpart Tayyip Erdogan on July 17, calling the attempted coup unacceptable and hoping Ankara would soon return to stability. The two leaders are expected to meet in person in the first week of August.

Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said yesterday that authorities had arrested more than 7,500 people, including 103 generals and admirals, in connection with the coup.

The failed coup began on the night of July 15, with violence mainly in the capital Ankara and Istanbul, killing more than 300 people. President Erdogan accused the cleric Fethullah Gulen and his supporters of being behind the coup. Gulen, who is now in the US, denied any involvement.

According to VNE