Turkey arrests dozens over alleged links to 2016 coup

SANAA, Oct. 13 (YPA) –  Turkish authorities have issued arrest warrants for dozens of people under the pretext of their connection to the preacher Fethullah Gulen, whom the regime accuses of being behind the 2016 coup attempt.

The Turkish (TRT News) channel reported that the authorities launched a search and raid operation in 26 governorates in search of 110 persons against whom arrest warrants were issued, including 16 pilots and soldiers on active duty, and arrested 89 of them.

In a separate operation, the official Anatolia News Agency reported that the police are searching for 57 other people in 15 provinces, of whom 32 have been arrested.

Since the coup attempt in mid-July 2016, the Turkish authorities have launched a crackdown against opponents that included all sectors and resulted in the arrest of about 80,000 people, in addition to the isolation, dismissal or suspension of work for about 150,000 others in various civil and military institutions.