Turkish female officer released after her detention following Kardak visit with army chief

Turkey's first female general candidate, Bilgehan Bülbül,  and her husband Nail Bülbül were released on condition of judicial control after their detention upon her return from a recent visit to the Kardak islets, where she accompanied Turkish Chief of General Staff Gen. Hulusi Akar, on charges of being a member of the Fethullahist Terrorist Organization (FETÖ), who are widely believed to have been the perpetrators of the July 15 coup attempt. 

Air Force Staff Lieutenant Colonel Bülbül had been detained right after the visit, which she accompanied Akar, and commanders of the land, naval and air forces of the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK).

Bülbül was detained on Jan. 30 for allegedly being affiliated to FETÖ. She had previously been assigned to Akar's secretariat after the thwarted coup attempt, according to recent details. 

Her detention came after a series of testimonies heard in investigations launched by Ankara Chief Prosecutor Müslüm Canpolat into FETÖ's "imams," revealed she was linked to the putschists. 

"Imam," which traditionally refers to a religious public worker, is a term used by the Gülenist organization to mark local leadership.

In the investigation, a number of civilian "imams" and soldiers linked to the group were named as suspects in the case. According to the information obtained from sources at the prosecutor's office, a civilian "imam," whose name was kept hidden, said in his testimony that Bülbül's husband, Air Force Staff Lieutenant Colonel Nail Bülbül, was connected to him and visited him from time-to-time. The confessor "imam" said Bülbül was also a member of FETÖ. 

"Bilgehan Bülbül was meeting with a member of the movement," he said. 

After the testimony, Canpolat ordered the...