DIDPress: A court in Istanbul has reportedly issued arrest warrants for 61 military officers accused of having ties to the Fethullah Gülen movement.
The detainees include active personnel from the Turkish Armed Forces, including members of the air force, army, and navy. They are accused of maintaining contact with individuals affiliated with the movement through public payphones.
The arrests are part of a broader operation targeting 65 military and police officers across Istanbul and 36 other provinces.
The detentions are part of a long-running crackdown on the Gülen movement, inspired by Fethullah Gülen, a Muslim cleric who died in exile in October 2024.
The campaign against the movement began in 2013, following a major corruption investigation that implicated Erdoğan, his family members, and close associates. Erdoğan rejected the probe as a coup attempt and a Gülenist conspiracy against his government, designating the movement as a terrorist organization and launching widespread purges against its followers.
The crackdown intensified after the failed coup attempt in 2016, which Erdoğan blamed on Gülen and his supporters.