Turkish police detained 71 people in raids across Turkey on Monday, targeting what authorities say are the remnants of the network blamed for the country’s failed 2016 coup attempt. Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said the suspects were rounded up in coordinated operations in 27 provinces after prosecutors in Istanbul issued detention warrants for 80 people linked to the Gülen movement.
Investigators say the case centers on alleged members of the organization founded by Turkish preacher Fethullah Gülen, who lived in the United States until his death in 2024 and whom Ankara accuses of masterminding the coup plot that killed more than 250 people and wounded thousands. The suspects include current and former public officials and senior police officers who allegedly remained inside the state as covert operatives.
According to the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office, 71 of the wanted suspects are now in custody, one remains at large inside Turkey, and eight are believed to have fled abroad. Police are working with international partners to track them.
Authorities say they are examining evidence such as past employment at companies tied to the network, the use of secret messaging channels, and alleged roles in coordinating the group’s activities inside the security forces.
The latest sweep is part of a yearslong campaign to dismantle what the government calls the “Fethullahist Terrorist Organization.” Since 2016, tens of thousands of people have been dismissed from state jobs, and many have faced trial on terrorism-related charges. The crackdown has drawn criticism from Western governments and human rights groups, who accuse Ankara of using the coup attempt as a pretext to silence dissent, even as Turkish officials insist the measures are vital to protect national security.