A man who claims to be an officer of the Turkish navy asked for political asylum along with his wife after they arrived in a boat at the Larnaca marina.
The Cyprus News Agency said the officer and his wife arrived at Larnaca, telling Greek Cypriot officials he faced persecution in Turkey and was seeking asylum.
CNA reported that the man opted to stay in the yacht with his wife, under surveillance by the port police. Police kept mum on what is seen as a sensitive political case, and government spokesman Nicos Christodoulides said he did not comment on "matters of national security".
Cypriot media outlet Sigmalive, quoting official sources, said the officer seeking asylum, whose name and rank have not been disclosed, had been accused of membership of the U.S. based Islamic preacher Fethullah Gülen religious cult. The network of Gülen was one of the masterminds of the last year's coup attempt.
The eastern Mediterranean island has been divided since 1974 when Turkish troops invaded the north in response to an Athens-inspired coup seeking union with Greece.
