Turkish authorities have apprehended 158 military officers today on allegations of connections to the organization of the late preacher Fetullah Gulen, who is accused of orchestrating the 2016 coup attempt, according to the Constantinople prosecutor’s office.
The state-run news agency Anadolu reports that these arrests, which build upon around 50 others conducted in late May, occurred across 43 of Turkey’s 81 provinces, including Constantinople and Smir.
Additionally, the prosecutor’s office stated that another 18 military personnel remain at large, with most of the arrests being linked to the ground army.
Fetullah Gulen, who passed away in late October in the U.S. after living there for over 25 years, was once a close ally of Turkish President Rep. Tayyip Erdogan before becoming his adversary.
Ankara accuses Gulen’s supporters of infiltrating various Turkish institutions, including the judiciary, armed forces, police, and education system, to establish a “parallel state.”
Since the failed coup attempt in 2016, approximately 26,000 individuals alleged to have ties to the Gülenist movement, which Ankara labels as “terrorist,” have been arrested. Among these, over 9,000 have been imprisoned, according to the Turkish judiciary.
Following the preacher’s death, who consistently denied any involvement in the coup attempt, President Erdogan pledged to seek out his followers to “the farthest corners of the world.”
Ask me anything
Explore related questions
