ISTANBUL: Turkish authorities issued detention warrants for 170 people suspected of links to the network accused of orchestrating a failed coup in 2016, the state-run Anadolu news agency said on Tuesday.
Those targeted in the operation, which was centered in Istanbul and spread across 37 other provinces, included retired, suspended and serving soldiers, Anadolu said, adding 22 of them were detained on Tuesday morning.
The suspects are believed to have contacted imams of the network via payphones and landlines, the news agency said. The arrests are part of Turkey’s far-reaching crackdown against the network of US-based Muslim cleric, Fethullah Gulen, whom Ankara holds responsible for the failed putsch.
Gulen, who has lived in self-imposed exile in the United States since 1999, has denied involvement and condemned the coup.
In the 19 months since the coup attempt — when rogue soldiers commandeered tanks and warplanes to attack parliament, killing more than 240 people — Turkey has jailed more than 50,000 under a state of emergency. It has also sacked or suspended 150,000 people from their jobs in the military, public and private sectors.
The government dismisses rights groups’ concerns about the crackdown, saying only such a purge could neutralize the threat represented by Gulen’s network, which it says infiltrated institutions such as the judiciary, army and schools.
Turkey orders detention of 170 soldiers for links to coup plotters
Turkey orders detention of 170 soldiers for links to coup plotters
Safety of Jordanians a priority during regional conflict, says country’s crown prince
- He visits Civil Defense Department and is briefed on the work it is doing to manage emergencies and protect lives and property amid attacks by Iran
LONDON: The safety of citizens is a priority for authorities in Jordan amid regional tensions, the country’s Crown Prince Hussein bin Abdullah Al-Hashimi said on Wednesday as he visited the Civil Defense Department for a briefing and iftar event.
He stressed the importance of keeping pace with the latest developments in civil protection systems and taking every opportunity to enhance the skills of Civil Defense personnel, the royal court said.
The department, which operates under the Ministry of Interior, has been working to manage emergencies and protect lives and property amid a barrage of missiles and drones launched by Tehran in recent days in response to attacks on Iran by the US and Israel. The strikes have targeted civilian and military areas in Jordan and other countries in the region.
During his visit the crown prince was greeted by Maj. Gen. Obeidallah Maaytah, director of the Public Security Directorate, and Brig. Gen. Nasser Sweilmeen, the Civil Defense director, and briefed on the work of the Civil Defense Department, the systems it uses, and the ways in which it is responding to the regional conflict.
In addition to firing missiles into Israel, Iran has targeted US forces at Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Jordan and other American military sites in Gulf countries. Military personnel and civilians in several countries have been killed or injured by missiles or falling debris.
