Turkish authorities arrest 61 soldiers for suspected Gulen links – report

Turkish authorities ordered the arrest of 61 soldiers from the Navy and land forces, including senior officers, for suspected links to a US-based cleric who Ankara says orchestrated a 2016 failed coup, Anadolu news agency reported on Monday. Eighteen of those ordered detained were on active duty, the report said, adding the suspects included 13 majors and 12 captains from the land forces and 24 first lieutenants from the Navy. In a separate operation, Istanbul police said they detained 21 people who were using an encrypted messaging application used by Fethullah Gulen’s alleged network. Most of those detained were teachers who formerly taught at the network’s schools or public institutions, Reuters reported, citing police. Gulen denies involvement in the coup.