Turkish authorities have issued arrest warrants for 77 people in Istanbul, Izmir and Mersin on charges of belonging to a “terrorist organization” – the US-based group of Islamic preachers Fethullah Gülen.
In Istanbul, the prosecutor’s office tried to arrest 34 suspects, and arrest operations were carried out in five provinces. According to Turkish media reports, 27 suspects have been detained so far, including former and current officers, former students and seven civilians accused of aiding “military saboteurs of a terrorist group.”
Another operation was launched in the western province of Izmir to arrest 28 suspects who were part of the Gülen group’s “military saboteurs” network, including current army, air and gendarmerie command officers, as well as former officers who were discharged from the armed forces on suspicion of connections with the Gülen movement.
In the southern province of Mersin, authorities ordered the arrest of 15 suspects, including former and active military personnel, former military students, a former police officer and a teacher associated with the Gülen group.
Turkish authorities accuse the Gülen group of involvement in the country’s 2016 coup attempt and involvement in a series of terrorist operations. Earlier, the Turkish military announced that more than 24,000 military personnel were expelled from the country after the coup attempt due to their possible connection with FETÖ.
Source: Turkish media