Turkish prosecutors on Tuesday issued detention warrants for 292 suspects as part of a post-coup crackdown targeting the followers of the faith-based Gülen movement, the state-run Anadolu news agency reported.
In Ankara police detained 63 suspects after the chief public prosecutor’s office ordered the detention of 102 people for alleged use of ByLock, a smartphone application that Turkish authorities believe was used among Gülen followers.
Most of the suspects were former public servants who were dismissed by government decrees during a two-year-long state of emergency declared after a 2016 failed coup.
Turkey dismissed some 140,000 public servants due to their alleged ties to the Gülen movement or other outlawed groups.
The Turkish government accuses the movement of orchestrating the coup, although it strongly denies any involvement.
The İzmir Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office ordered the detention of 29 military members and 12 civilians over Gülen links.
The report indicates 29 of them were on active duty, while 12 had been dismissed from the military by government decrees.
The suspects were accused of using pay phones to allegedly maintain their ties to the Gülen movement.
The Konya Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office also issued detention warrants for 80 suspects, including military members, over Gülen links.
In Gaziantep and Kütahya, prosecutors ordered the detention of former and active duty military members on accusations of Gülen links.
The Adıyaman police detained 25 individuals including businesspeople for their alleged ties to the Gülen movement.
The police are searching for two more people, according to the report. Turkey has detained over 500,000 people over Gülen links since the abortive putsch.