Turkish authorities detained 208 suspects on Tuesday in connection with alleged links to the Gulen movement, which it calls a terrorist group and blames for a 2016 coup attempt..
The nationwide crackdown targeted individuals suspected of infiltrating state institutions and maintaining ties with the group, Turkish Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said on social media platform X.
Operations were carried out simultaneously across 47 provinces in coordination with provincial police departments and judicial authorities, he said.
“Along with Gaziantep, the current structure of the group in the regional structure of Kahramanmaras, Kilis, Sanliurfa, and Adiyaman provinces was deciphered,” he said, adding that the members of the group who were taken to training camps abroad were also caught.
During the operations, many organizational documents and digital materials were seized, the Turkish minister noted.
The Gulen movement, once led by Muslim preacher Fethullah Gulen, who passed away in October 2024 in the United States, has been accused by the Turkish government of masterminding a coup attempt in 2016, which resulted in the deaths of over 250 people.
Turkish authorities have conducted extensive arrests over the years, detaining thousands of people allegedly linked to the Gulen movement.
