ISTANBUL — Turkish forces flying attack helicopters and drones raided a forested area in southwestern Turkey overnight, capturing a fugitive unit of commandos that had tried to assassinate or kidnap President Recep Tayyip Erdogan last month during a coup attempt, officials said Monday.

The commandos, who allegedly joined a conspiracy initiated by a rebel faction of the military to topple the government, had been on the run since early July 16, when they assaulted a seaside hotel in Marmaris where Erdogan had been vacationing.

The president slipped away before the commandos’ helicopters arrived, however, in one of the most dramatic events in a long night of violence that ultimately failed to topple the government but that left more than 250 people dead.

Residents in the Marmaris area played a role in capturing the fugitive commandos, spotting them while out boar-hunting and quickly alerting the authorities.

New York Times