TEHRAN, November 06 - Turkish security forces have arrested more than a dozen people on suspicion of affiliation to a movement led by US-based opposition cleric Fethullah Gulen, whom the Ankara government accuses of having masterminded the July 2016 coup attempt against President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
TEHRAN, Young Journalists Club (YJC) -Police sources, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the suspects were detained in 10 provinces across the country.
They apparently used encrypted messaging application ByLock, which the Turkish government claims to be the top communication tool among members of the Gulen movement.
The sources added that the arrests came after the Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office in Istanbul issued arrest warrants for 26 suspects.
During the 2016 botched putsch, a faction of the Turkish military declared that it had seized control of the country and the government of Erdogan was no more in charge. The attempt was, however, suppressed a few hours later.
Ankara has since accused Gulen of having orchestrated the coup. The opposition figure is also accused of being behind a long-running campaign to topple the government via infiltrating the country’s institutions, particularly the army, police and the judiciary.
Gulen has denounced the “despicable putsch” and reiterated that he had no role in it.
“Accusations against me related to the coup attempt are baseless and politically-motivated slanders,” he said in a statement.
Source: Press TV