Europe

Turkish soldiers detained over ties to US cleric

by Marty Johnson - 01/14/20 9:18 AM ET

More than 100 Turkish soldiers have been detained by the country’s authorities for suspected links to a U.S.-based Muslim cleric whom Ankara blames for a failed 2016 coup attempt.

Anadolu Agency, Turkey’s state-run media outlet, said Tuesday the 115 soldiers that had been detained are part of a total of 176 soldiers that prosecutors ordered to be detained as cleric Fethullah Gülen’s network is further investigated, The Associated Press reports.

Of the 115 detained, 108 are currently on active duty, the state-run agency said.

In July 2016, a group of officers tried unsuccessfully to overthrow Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.

Roughly 250 people were killed and more than 2,000 were injured during the failed attempt. Since the attempt, almost 80,000 people have been arrested and an additional 130,000 have been fired from state jobs.

Gülen, who has lived in the U.S. since 1999, denies involvement in the coup attempt, according to the AP.

Tags Recep Tayipp Erdoğan Recep Tayyip Erdoğan Turkey Turkish coup d'état attempt