Turkish authorities arrested seven suspects in connection to Fethullah Gyulen, a self-exiled Muslim priest, and Ankara alleges that he was involved with the attempted coup in 2016.
On Friday, eight people were arrested by prosecutors in Washington. These include five military personnel on active duty and two retired sergeants.
This operation was carried out in four provinces of Turkey as part of Ankara’s ongoing investigation into the members of the armed force that are suspected to have supported Gulen. Turkey has renamed the Fethullah Terrorist Organization, the Gulen movement. Turkish authorities claim that the detainees were allegedly communicating via telephone with senior FETO members.
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Turkey has arrested 43 individuals allegedly linked to Gulen self-exiled clergyman, Ankara claims masterminded the 2016 coup.
Ankara blamed Gulen (an ally turned-critic of Turkish President Recept Tayyip Erdogan) for the failed 2016 power grab that left at least 250 people dead and more than 2,000 injured. This Muslim preacher who lives in the US from 1999 to 2005 has condemned the coup attempt and denied any involvement.
These arrests were part of a new series that has seen detentions taken against people suspected to be involved in the coup planning. At least 43 individuals were arrested in raids that took place earlier this week and covered 40 provinces of Turkey.
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Ankara ordered the detention of 125 individuals last month. This included 29 former workers from the Turkish Foreign Ministry, who had been either fired or suspended. Earlier in October, İzmir Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office arrested 97 people after a probe to find wanted active and former soldiers, as well as ex-military students, all allegedly linked to Gulen.
In the wake of the attempted coup attempt, the Turkish government began a massive crackdown and arrested around 80,000 people for their alleged involvement in the power grab. Over 150,000 military personnel and civil servants were suspended or fired, while more than 20,000 were demoted from the Turkish Army.
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