At least 50 soldiers arrested over alleged links to Gülenists

ISTANBUL

Normal 0 false false false TR JA X-NONE Over 50 high-ranking soldiers were arrested across Turkey on Dec.17 over alleged links to the U.S.-based Islamic preacher Fethullah Gülen, who is accused of masterminding the failed July 15 coup in Turkey, state-run Anadolu Agency has reported.

 

The Istanbul Court issued arrest warrants for 530 high-ranking soldiers, including 280 military officers and 250 sergeants early on Dec.17. 

The Istanbul Public Prosecutor’s Office said in a statement later that 53 soldiers had been arrested so far, including 48 from the port city and five others from other provinces in the country. 

The Istanbul-based simultaneous operations are on the lookout for the rest of the suspects, some of whom used the ByLock messaging app that is said to be linked to the July 15 coup attempt.