Turkey seeks arrests of 138 for links to US-based cleric

ANKARA, Turkey – Turkey’s state-run news agency says authorities have issued initial detention warrants for 138 people, including military personnel, for suspected links to a network led by a U.S.-based cleric who Turkey accuses of orchestrating a 2016 failed coup attempt.

Anadolu Agency said 66 of the suspects were detained on Tuesday in raids across Turkey as the country presses ahead with a large-scale crackdown against Fethullah Gulen’s network. The cleric denies involvement in the coup.

The suspects include former police chiefs and police, ex-cadets, and some officers in the Coast Guard, the Navy and the Gendarmerie, Anadolu said in separate reports, and now await charges or dismissal.

Turkey’s crackdown after the coup has resulted in about 50,000 arrests. More than 110,000 people have also been sacked from state jobs, including the military.