Criminal complaint lodged over researcher inciting Erdogan's assassination

Following a criminal complaint by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Ankara prosecutors have launched a probe into a former French diplomat for "calling for the assassination of the president," according to judicial and presidential sources.

Erdoğan early Monday filed a complaint against Philippe Moreau Defarges, who told French broadcaster BFM Business that in the wake of a referendum in favor of a presidential system, assassinating Erdogan or Civil War were both options for Turkey.

Following a significant backlash, Defarges, a researcher at the French Institute of International Relations (IFRI), apologized for his controversial comments Sunday, calling them "inappropriate" and expressing his "deepest sadness", the Daily Sabah reported.