Istanbul:
Turkish spies arrested and repatriated a nephew of an enemy of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan who Turkey says ordered a failed coup in 2016, state media reported Monday.
Ankara accuses US-based Muslim preacher Fethullah Gulen of masterminding the attempted overthrow which left hundreds dead and thousands more injured. Since 2016, Turkey has arrested tens of thousands of people today suspected to have hyperlinks to Gulen.
Turkish state news agency Anadolu reported that Selahaddin Gulen was brought back to Turkey by agents from the country’s National Intelligence Organisation (MIT), quoting unnamed safety sources, but did not say which nation he was arrested in.
The agency published a photograph of the suspect in handcuffs with a Turkish flag on each and every side of him, but did not say irrespective of whether the operation took spot in agreement with the nation he was captured in.
Selahaddin Gulen is accused of belonging to the “FETO terrorist organisation”, the description utilized by Ankara for Fethullah Gulen’s movement.
The preacher, who lives in Pennsylvania, insists he is the head of a peaceful network of charities and businesses, and denies any hyperlinks to the 2016 coup bid.
But President Erdogan, who when was allied with Gulen, describes the preacher today as the leader of a “terrorist” group which seeks to infiltrate and overthrow the Turkish government.
Since the failed coup, Turkey has “repatriated” dozens of people today accused of belonging to Gulen’s network, specifically in the Balkans and Africa.
The kidnapping of six Turkish nationals in Kosovo by MIT agents in 2018 sparked a political crisis in the Balkan nation, top to the sacking of its interior minister and intelligence chief.
The raids continue against alleged Gulen members, with practically every day police operations to arrest suspects across the nation.
Since 2016, more than 140,000 public sector workers such as teachers and judges have also been sacked or suspended more than suspected ties with Mr Gulen.
()