Turkish prosecutors on Tuesday issued detention warrants for 222 people, including military members, as part of a massive post-coup crackdown targeting followers of the faith-based Gülen movement.
The Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office ordered the detention of 50 members of the Gendarmerie General Command and 55 others over Gülen links.
The civilians are accused of infiltrating the Turkish military through establishing a network among followers and sympathizers of the Gülen movement.
They were also accused of using ByLock, a smartphone application that Turkish authorities believe was used by Gülen-linked individuals to communicate in secret.
The state-run Anadolu news agency reports did not specify how many of the suspects being sought had been detained.
The Turkish government believes the Gülen movement orchestrated a failed coup in 2016, although the movement strongly denies any involvement.
Meanwhile, police in İzmir on Tuesday conducted operations against followers of the Gülen movement and apprehended 21 people who were allegedly in hiding.
In Kırıkkale the prosecutor’s office issued detention warrants for 30 military personnel over Gülen links, after which the police raided houses in 11 provinces.
The Konya Chief Public Prosecutor’s office also issued detention warrants for 50 people as part of an investigation into the Gülen movement.
Thirty-two of the suspects were members of the military.
The prosecutor’s offices of two other provinces, Muğla and Kocaeli, ordered the detention of 15 and 22 military personnel, respectively, Reuters reported.
Some 140,000 public servants have been dismissed since the abortive putsch due to alleged Gülen links, and more than 600,000 people have been investigated on allegations of terrorism.
The Turkish courts have arrested around 80,000 people on charges of membership in the movement since the failed coup.