Turkish prosecutors issued detention warrants for 20 people over their alleged links to the Gülen movement, accused by the Turkish government of masterminding a failed coup in 2016, the state-run Anadolu news agency reported.
As part of the operation based in the northern Turkish province of Edirne, raids were being conducted on Monday across 11 provinces to detain the 20 people, accused of being “secret imams,” who according to Turkish authorities are key figures in the Gülen movement’s infiltration of the Turkish army.
The Gülen movement is accused by the Turkish government and President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan of masterminding the failed coup on July 15, 2016 and is labeled a “terrorist organization,” although the movement denies involvement in the coup attempt or any terrorist activity.
Since the coup attempt, followers of the Gülen movement have been subjected to a massive crackdown, with the Turkish government and pro-government media outlets demonizing its members.
In addition to the thousands who were jailed, scores of other Gülen movement followers had to flee Turkey to avoid the government crackdown.