11/03/2021- 7:10 p.m.
Turkey arrests 43 people allegedly connected to self-exiled cleric who Ankara says masterminded botched 2016 coup
Judicial authorities said Tuesday they apprehended 43 suspects, believed to be senior operatives in what Turkey has dubbed the “Fethullah Terrorist Organization” in relation to the 2016 failed coup attempt.
Raids to find the individuals spanned 40 provinces, as well as the Turkish capital, with warrants for 100 people issued in the latest probe, a statement from the Ankara public prosecutor’s office said.
Turkey accuses Fethullah Gulen, once an ally of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, of being behind the July 2016 coup that saw at least 250 dead and over 2,000 injured. Gulen, who has lived in the US in self-exile since 1999, has denied any involvement in the ousting attempt.
