Detention warrants were issued on Wednesday for 63 people, 48 of whom are military pilots, as part of a purge ongoing since a failed coup in Turkey in July 2016, Turkish media outlets reported.
The Ankara Public Prosecutor’s Office issued a statement saying the pilots were allegedly in contact with the “secret imams” of the faith-based Gülen movement, which the government accuses of plotting the coup attempt and considers a terrorist organization.
The movement denies any involvement in the abortive putsch.
As part of the massive purge, tens of thousands of civil servants have been dismissed, detained or arrested on coup charges.
In addition to the pilots, 15 alleged “civilian imams” of the Gülen movement are subjects of the latest investigation.
The office of the prosecutor claims that the military officers used pay phones to contact “imams” out of fear of surveillance of their mobile phones. Many military members have been arrested on the same accusation as part of the ongoing purge.