Turkish Forces Arrest 8 People Over Suspected Links To Gulen In Country's South - Reports

Umer Jamshaid Published September 28, 2018 | 05:21 PM

Turkish security forces arrested on Friday eight people over their alleged links to the movement of Islamic cleric Fethullah Gulen, which Ankara refers to as the Fethullah Terrorist Organization (FETO) and holds responsible for staging the 2016 failed military coup in the country, local media reported.

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 28th September, 2018) Turkish security forces arrested on Friday eight people over their alleged links to the movement of Islamic cleric Fethullah Gulen, which Ankara refers to as the Fethullah Terrorist Organization (FETO) and holds responsible for staging the 2016 failed military coup in the country, local media reported.

According to the Anadolu news Agency, the counterterrorism operation was held in Turkey's southern Hatay province. There are seven soldiers among those arrested.

The failed coup attempt in Turkey took place on July 15, 2016, and was promptly suppressed by the government forces, but still left 251 people dead and around 2,200 injured. Ankara has accused Gulen, who has been living in the United States since 1999, and his followers of orchestrating the coup, which Gulen has repeatedly refuted.

Around 80,000 people, including officials and military staff, have reportedly been arrested in Turkey over their alleged links to Gulen since the coup attempt.