Turkey Detains Over 200 in Nationwide Operation Targeting Gulen-Linked Suspects
Turkish authorities detained 208 individuals on Tuesday across 47 provinces in a large-scale operation targeting alleged members of the Gülen movement, which Ankara accuses of orchestrating the 2016 coup attempt. Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya announced the arrests on social media, stating that the suspects were believed to have infiltrated public institutions and maintained organizational ties.
The coordinated raids involved local police and judicial authorities and focused on networks active in southeastern provinces including Gaziantep, Kahramanmaraş, Kilis, Şanlıurfa, and Adıyaman. “The current structure of the group in the regional structure … was deciphered,” Yerlikaya said, noting that some of those detained had been trained abroad. Authorities also seized digital materials and organizational documents during the raids.
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The Turkish government designates the Gülen movement, also known as FETÖ, as a terrorist organization. The group was led by exiled cleric Fethullah Gülen, who died in the United States in October 2024. Turkish officials hold the movement responsible for the failed July 2016 coup attempt, which left over 250 people dead and triggered a wave of purges in the government, military, and education sectors.
Since the coup attempt, tens of thousands of people have been arrested or dismissed from public service on suspicion of links to the movement, which Turkey claims operated as a parallel state.
Tuesday’s arrests reflect ongoing efforts by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s government to dismantle the remnants of what it views as a national security threat.
