Police detain 51 Istanbul University academics in coup attempt probe

ISTANBUL

Fifty-one academics out of 87 who were issued detention warrants have been detained by police at Istanbul University over suspected links to U.S.-based Islamic preacher Fethullah Gülen, accused of orchestrating the July 15 failed coup attempt, state-run Anadolu Agency has reported. 

Earlier, the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office had issued detention warrants for 87 professors, associate professors and lecturers over alleged links to the Gülen movement.

Meanwhile, anti-smuggling police teams conducted operations in 12 provinces and 100 different addresses across Turkey in the early hours of Dec. 9.

The leader of the Merkez Party, Professor Abdurrahim Karslı, was on the detention list but was not taken by police as he is currently under medical treatment at his residence following a liver transplant.

Police also detained the provincial garrison commander in the Black Sea province of Artvin over his alleged links to the Gülen movement in an operation conducted by the Trabzon counter-terrorism police on Dec. 9.

The garrison commander, Infantry Col. Adnan Dinçsoy, was later referred to the Artvin police headquarters.