Turkish authorities were sweeping across at least 26 provinces on Friday to detain a total of 137 people over their alleged links to a failed coup in July 2016, state news agency Anadolu reported on Friday. The warrants were issued over alleged ties to Fethullah Gulen, a U.S.-based cleric whom the government blames for the failed 2016 coup attempt by a faction in the military. In Istanbul, prosecutors ordered the detention of 42 people, including civil servants purged from their posts, over alleged Gulen ties. Turkish authorities continue to detain alleged “Gulenists” on an almost daily basis, more than two years after the coup attempt. On July 15, 2016, a coup d’état was attempted in Turkey against state institutions, including the government and President Recep Erdoğan.

Source: Punch January 04, 2019 14:15 UTC