Turkey orders arrests of 68 in continuing Gulen probe crackdown

The arrest of dozens of colonels was ordered as Turkey continues its operation against Gulen supporters.

2 min read

02 July, 2018

Those facing arrest include 22 colonels and 27 lieutenant colonels [Getty]

Turkey ordered the detention of 68 suspects in an operation targeting suspected supporters of US-based cleric Fethullah Gulen whom Ankara accuses of orchestrating an attempted coup two years ago, state media said on Monday.

Dozens of colonels were included in the detention order, with nineteen serving officers in an operation that took place over 19 provinces, including the capital Ankara, reported the state-run Anadolu news agency.

Sources in Ankara’s chief prosecutor’s office claimed that the suspects were found to have been in contact by landline phone with preacher Fethullah Gulen operatives.

Those facing arrest include 22 colonels and 27 lieutenant colonels, and 19 people have so far been detained, Anadolu said.

A state of emergency was enforced in July 2016, five days after elements of the Turkish military went rogue and attempted a coup against the government.

Since then, the law has been used to round up thousands of suspected coup sympathisers and supporters of exiled cleric Fethullah Gulen, who Ankara blames for the revolt.

Critics say the laws have been used by Erdogan to round up any political opponents.

Erdogan has indicated that the state of emergency could end after his election, although this would not necessarily mean an end to the crackdown which has seen 55,000 people detained.