Turkey orders arrests of 532 suspected of Gulen links
The widespread operation targeted alleged followers of the Pennsylvania-based preacher blamed for the 2016 attempted coup.
Turkey has ordered the arrests of 532 people, including 459 military personnel, with suspected ties to the outlawed movement that Ankara blames for the 2016 coup attempt, the state-owned Anadolu News Agency reported on Monday.
An investigation based on phone monitoring and alleged confessions from supporters of Fethullah Gulen was launched in 62 provinces, Anadolu reported. As many as 400 suspected supporters of US-based cleric Fethullah Gulen were arrested so far on Monday, a source told the news outlet.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan blames Gulen’s followers for the July 2016 coup attempt that left at least 250 people dead and over 2,000 injured.
In the aftermath of the failed coup, Erdogan ordered the arrests of more than 77,000 alleged supporters of the Gulen movement, which Turkey has branded the Fethullah Gulen Terror Organization (FETO). The government also dismissed or suspended some 150,000 civil workers from their jobs as part of the purge.
