Turkish prosecutors have ordered the detention of 42 people including active duty military officers, 26 of whom have so far been detained, due to alleged links to the Gülen movement, the state-run Anadolu news agency reported on Monday.
The detentions, which took place across 23 provinces as part of an investigation overseen by the Balıkesir Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office, target alleged followers of the Gülen movement in the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK).
There are 10 active duty officers among the suspects, according to Anadolu, while the remainder comprise retired officers and military cadets expelled from military academies in the aftermath of a coup attempt in July 2016.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has been targeting followers of the Gülen movement, inspired by Turkish Muslim cleric Fethullah Gülen, since the corruption investigations of December 17-25, 2013, which implicated then-Prime Minister Erdoğan, his family members and his inner circle.
Dismissing the investigations as a Gülenist coup and conspiracy against his government, Erdoğan designated the movement as a terrorist organization and began to target its members. He intensified the crackdown on the movement following the abortive putsch on July 15, 2016 that he accused Gülen of masterminding. Gülen and the movement strongly deny involvement in the coup attempt or any terrorist activity.