Police detained 43 people on Friday as part of an ongoing witch hunt operation targeting the Gülen movement in İzmir and Ankara provinces.
An İzmir court issued detention warrants for 101 people who are suspected to have links to the Gülen movement which the Justice and Development Party government declared to be responsible of a failed coup attempt on July 15.
Police detained 43 of the suspects during raids early on Friday in addresses in İzmir and Ankara. Cahit Kıraç, who earlier served as the governer of İzmir and Diyarbakır is reported to be on the detention list.
Immediately after the failed putsch, the government along with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan pinned the blame on the Gülen movement and launched a widespread purge aimed at cleansing sympathizers of the movement from within state institutions, dehumanizing its popular figures and putting them in custody.
Despite Gülen himself disowning and condemning the coup attempt, a massive purge is continuing to hunt down hundreds of people from all walks of life.
Some 82,000 people have been purged from state bodies, nearly 40,000 detained and 20,000 arrested since the coup attempt. Arrestees include journalists, judges, prosecutors, police and military officers, academics, governors and even a comedian.