At least 50 soldiers arrested over alleged links to Gülenists
ISTANBUL
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.