Turkey prosecutors order detention of 70 army officers over alleged Gulen links – reports

Prosecutors in Turkey ordered the detention of 70 serving army officers over alleged links to the US-based preacher accused of orchestrating an attempted coup in 2016, CNN Turk reported on Thursday. Police launched operations in 38 provinces across Turkey in a probe led by state prosecutors in the central Turkish province of Konya, Reuters said. The suspects were targeted based on statements by soldiers previously detained over ties to the cleric Fethullah Gulen, and were believed to have been responsible for recruiting students for Gulen’s movement, according to the report. The UN human rights office said earlier this month that Ankara has detained 160,000 people and dismissed nearly the same number of civil servants since the failed coup in July 2016. Turkey blames the coup on Gulen, but he denies any involvement.