New wave of purges in Turkey: 700 detainees on suspicion of attempted coup
Although it has been more than three and a half years since Erdogan's failed rebellion, authorities are continuing widespread arrests by those affiliated with the exiled preacher's supporters. Among the suspects - military officers and officials at the Justice Department
New wave of purges in Turkey: 700 detainees on suspicion of attempted coup
Turkey's prosecution on Tuesday ordered the arrest of nearly 700 people, including military personnel and Justice Department officials, claiming they were part of the network that planned the 2016 coup attempt. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's government is focusing its efforts on followers of Fatahullah Golan, a former Erdogan ally who is exiled in the United States. In the coup attempt, about 250 people were killed.
Although more than three and a half years have passed, police are still routinely arresting suspects of involvement in a putsch against Erdogan, but the latest wave of arrests is one of the most widespread in recent times. Golan denies any connection to the coup attempt.
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Among the last detainees, 101 military officers serve as part of the Turkish Armed Forces investigation 71 arrested in Ankara capital in an attempt to locate Golan supporters inside the Justice Department; And arrest warrants have been issued against more than 460 other people across Turkey as part of a corruption investigation into the 2009 police admissions tests.
Erdogan has for years accused Golan's supporters of establishing a "parallel state" by infiltrating the ranks of the police, the judiciary and other state institutions.
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To the full articleTurkey's allies in the West, including the EU and human rights groups, have criticized the scale of the cleansing, while Ankara claims it is a necessary response to a "security threat".