Authorities in Turkey have issued detention warrants for 249 people as part of an investigation into alleged cheating during exams to recruit staff for the country’s foreign ministry between 2010 and 2013.
The Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor’s office said 91 of the suspects were detained on Monday in simultaneous operations across 42 Turkish provinces.
The suspects are believed to have links to the Gülen movement, which is accused by the Turkish government of masterminding a failed coup attempt on July 15, 2016. The movement, inspired by the views of US-based Islamic cleric Fethullah Gülen, strongly denies any involvement in the failed putsch.
Following the coup attempt, the Turkish government launched a massive crackdown on followers of the movement on the pretext of an anti-coup fight as a result of which more than 150,000 people were removed from state jobs while in excess of 50,000 others were jailed and some 600,000 people have been investigated on allegations of terrorism.