Detention warrants issued for 31 former Ankara University personnel over Gülen links

ANKARA

Detention warrants were issued for a total of 31 former Ankara University personnel over suspected links to the U.S.-based Islamic preacher Fethullah Gülen, as part of an investigation carried out by the Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office. 

The sought personnel were determined to be users of the smartphone application ByLock, which came to prominence after it emerged that members of what the government calls the Fethullahist Terrorist Organization (FETÖ), widely believed to have been masterminded of the July 15, 2016 coup attempt, used it to communicate. 

According to a statement released by the chief public prosecutor’s office on July 4, the sought personnel were previously dismissed or suspended with state of emergency decrees. 

Turkey declared a state of emergency after the thwarted coup and has been issuing emergency decrees that lead to the suspensions or dismissals of over 100,000 people. 

Academics are also among those sought as part of the investigation. 

Several of the suspects were detained and taken to police headquarters, while efforts to apprehend the others were ongoing. 

Elsewhere, detention warrants were issued for 21 officers over being suspected Gülenists in the Central Anatolian province of Konya on July 4.

The Konya Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office launched an investigation into FETÖ after the attempted takeover and the detention warrants were issued in accordance with the testimonies of the soldiers previously detained from Third Main Jet Base Command.

The sought suspects include two lieutenant commanders, 13 first lieutenants and 6 second lieutenants and the warrants were issued over “violating the constitution,” “attempting to prevent legislative branches,” “rioting against the government” and “being members of an armed terrorist organization.”

A total of 14 officers were detained in simultaneous operations carried out early on July 4 and searches were conducted in the suspects’ houses and the base command.