Turkish prosecutors order arrest of 249 Foreign Ministry personnel in post-coup probe

Turkish authorities ordered the arrest of 249 Foreign Ministry personnel over suspected links to the network accused of orchestrating an attempted coup in 2016, NTV said on Monday.

The Ankara chief prosecutor’s office said it ordered the arrest of those people the after investigations found “irregularities” in the Foreign Ministry’s past entrance exams. It said 78 suspects had been detained so far in operations across 43 provinces and that police were seeking the rest, Reuters reports.

Authorities have carried out regular operations against the alleged followers of US-based preacher Fethullah Gulen, since the failed coup attempt on the night of July 15, 2016. Gulen denies allegations he was behind the coup.