The Turkish police on Tuesday detained at least 10 suspects over their alleged links to a network accused of orchestrating a coup attempt in 2016.
An arrest warrant was issued for 17 suspects that allegedly linked to the Gulen movement, which the Turkish government accused of infiltrating into the state bureaucracy and attempting a coup on July 15, 2016, the governor's office of northwestern Balikesir province said.
At least 10 of the suspects were detained under an investigation into the group's "military establishment."
The suspects included three on-duty non-commissioned officers, one retired naval colonel, one retired non-commissioned officer, two resigned non-commissioned officers, two former cadets, two lawyers, one dismissed electrical engineer, and five private-sector employees.
The evidence included confessions, along with the payphone conversations of the suspects with the Gulen movement members.
The simultaneous operations by the police continue in seven cities to detain the remaining suspects.
The Gulen movement, which mainly runs schools around the world, is a community of people named after Muslim preacher Fethullah Gulen. He is regarded by followers as a spiritual leader.
Ankara accuses US-based Fethullah Gulen of masterminding the attempted coup, in which at least 250 people were killed.
Turkey requests the extradition of Gulen, but the US is reluctant to extradite the self-exiled Islamic cleric, saying that Ankara has not presented sufficient evidence against him.
The Turkish government has launched a massive crackdown on suspects with links to the network after the coup attempt. (ANI/Xinhua)
( With inputs from ANI )
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