Turkey's state-run news agency says 45 military pilots were detained Thursday and 29 who had previously been detained were formally arrested as part of the ongoing investigation into the movement allegedly responsible for the failed coup on July 15. The chief public prosecutor's office in the central Anatolian city of Konya issued warrants for the detention of 73 military pilots— two colonels and 71 lieutenants— over alleged ties to U.S.-based Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen. Turkey accuses Gulen of masterminding the violent coup attempt that led to more than 270 deaths, and the government has launched a massive crackdown on his followers. Anadolu says the pilots were handpicked by the Gulen movement and played an active role in the movement. Turkey has detained thousands of people for alleged links to the coup.

Source: ABC News October 27, 2016 08:28 UTC