Police launch operations against over 70 coup attempt suspects across Turkey

ISTANBUL

Police have launched simultaneous operations early on Nov. 23 in 13 provinces across Turkey to detain 40 suspected followers of the Gülen movement, believed to have orchestrated the July 15 coup attempt, state-run Anadolu Agency has reported.

Istanbul police teams carried out operations after obtaining information from confessing members of the Gülen movement seeking leniency in their prison terms. 

The operations are ongoing in Istanbul, Ankara, İzmir, Bursa, Konya, Kocaeli, Diyarbakır, Erzurum, Eskişehir, Kırşehir, Ordu, Uşak and Hakkari, and a number of the targeted individuals have already been detained.        

Meanwhile, 26 of 32 suspects were arrested on Nov. 23 over their links to the movement, security sources said.      
Warrants were issued by the Istanbul chief public prosecutor early on Nov. 23 for the 32 suspects, including high-ranking police officers, according to a security source who spoke on condition of anonymity due to restrictions on talking to the media. 

The suspects are reportedly located in seven provinces across the country, including Istanbul, Gaziantep, Kastamonu, Erzurum, Kayseri, Osmaniye and Ankara.