Turkey's Police Operation to Arrest 350 More Individuals Linked to the Gülen Group

According to Turkish state media, on Friday, July 15, the country's police conducted a nationwide operation to arrest 350 individuals, including military personnel, on charges of connections to a group that the government blames for the failed coup attempt in the summer of 2016. Anadolu Agency reported that the Istanbul prosecutor's office issued arrest warrants for 271 military personnel, 122 of whom are still on active duty. This is part of the operation to detain supporters of Fethullah Gülen, a Turkish cleric residing in the U.S. The Turkish government has accused Gülen of planning and orchestrating the July 15, 2016 coup attempt to overthrow President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, a claim that Gülen has denied. Anadolu added that these arrests took place in 47 different provinces, including 75 arrests in the province of Izmir, and are part of ongoing investigations into 'cells linked to Fethullah Gülen within the Turkish armed forces.' Since the declaration of a state of emergency by the Turkish government following the coup two years ago, over 77,000 individuals, including military personnel, have been arrested on charges of connections to the Gülen network. Ankara's Western allies, including the European Union, have expressed concern over the extensive scope of arrests and political purges, during which over 140,000 public sector employees, including judges, military personnel, and police officers, have been dismissed. However, the Turkish government insists that these arrests and purges are necessary to eradicate a 'virus' resulting from the Gülen network's influence in governmental structures. Fethullah Gülen, who has lived in voluntary exile in Pennsylvania, USA, since 1999, has consistently emphasized that his movement is peaceful and promotes moderate Islam.