Turkish police have arrested 47 people in an operation targeting alleged supporters of the army of a network accused by Ankara of orchestrating a failed coup attempt two years ago, CNN Turk reported today. The operation, which began on Tuesday, targeted 124 people accused of being followers of Muslim preacher Fethullah Gulen, CNN Turk reported.
Ankara accuses Gulen of being behind the failed coup attempt on July 15, 2016, a charge he denies. The suspects are accused of acting as religious leaders of high-ranking military personnel, according to CNN Turk.
The operation, which focused on Konya in central Turkey and spread to 31 provinces, took place ahead of tomorrow's presidential and parliamentary elections in Turkey. Following the coup attempt, the government detained 160.000 people and fired almost the same number of civil servants, the UN Office for Human Rights said in March.