52 informatics personnel detained over alleged links to Gülen

Çetin Aydın – ISTANBUL

The Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office has issued detention warrants for 105 personnel at various companies and institutions, with 52 of them being detained over links to Fethullah Gülen, the U.S.-based Islamic preacher who is widely believed to have led the July 15, 2016, deadly coup attempt.

Police launched an Istanbul-based operation into informatics personnel at the Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey (TÜBİTAK), leading communication company Türk Telekom, Turkish Airlines (THY), defense company HAVELSAN, and tech company Sürat Bilişim on charges of “being a member of an armed terrorist organization” in eight provinces across Turkey.

Most of those on the list were users of ByLock, an encrypted messaging application used almost exclusively by Gülen supporters, according to a statement by the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office.

A total of 52 of those who had detention warrants were detained, while search operations for 53 others were ongoing, state-run Anadolu Agency reported.

Meanwhile, 40 detention warrants were issued for academics and administrative personnel of now closed Turgut Özal University for having alleged links to Gülen as part of an investigation conducted by the Istanbul Chief Prosecutor’s Office, the agency reported. Suspects on the list were also reportedly users of ByLock.