101 detention orders issued for military, intelligence personnel over coup attempt

ANKARA

More than 100 detention orders were on Oct. 5 issued for military and intelligence personnel over alleged links to the U.S.-based Islamic preacher Fethullah Gülen, believed to have masterminded the failed July 15 coup attempt. 

The Ankara Public Prosecutor’s Office issued detention warrants for 101 suspects, including the organization’s alleged “imams” in the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) and the National Intelligence Organization (MİT), during an operation conducted in 31 provinces.

“Imam,” which traditionally refers to a religious public official, is a term used by the Gülenist organization to mark local leadership.

A total of 55 people were detained in the operations and digital data were seized in the searches carried out in their homes.  

Meanwhile, Adil Öksüz, the Gülen movement’s “imam” of the Air Force and a suspected leader of the coup attempt, stayed in the Çeşmeköy district of the western province of Kırklareli before escaping to a foreign country, Doğan News Agency reported on Oct. 5.

The police reportedly received a notice regarding the whereabouts of Öksüz, who was briefly detained after the failed seizure of government before being released a short while later. 

According to the agency, burned pieces of newspapers, a bed and a stove were found inside the house where Öksüz is thought to have stayed before fleeing abroad.