Turkey arresting 215 more police officers
in post-coup investigation: NTV
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[October 12, 2016]
ANKARA (Reuters) - Turkish
authorities on Wednesday issued arrest warrants for 215 police officers,
including 147 police chiefs, broadcaster NTV reported, in an operation
linked to July's attempted coup.
Thirty from the group have been arrested so far, NTV said.
Turkey has seen two mass arrests in the police force since Oct. 7, that
the government says aims to root out supporters of U.S-based cleric
Fethullah Gulen, who Ankara blames for masterminding the abortive coup.
Gulen denies accusations he was behind the coup, during which more than
240 people were killed.
Some 32,000 people have been jailed, and 100,000 military officers,
police, teachers, judges, prosecutors and others have been sacked.
On Wednesday, the Defence Ministry said the armed forces had dismissed
201 more personnel from its air force and 32 more from the navy.
Authorities said that all 215 officers listed were suspected of using
ByLock, NTV said, a smartphone messaging app used by Gulen's followers
since 2014. Most of the warrants were for officers in Ankara, though
others were in 13 provinces, it said.
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The state intelligence agency traced thousands of people they say are
part of Gulen's movement and linked to last month's failed military coup
by cracking ByLock's security features.
Parliament on Tuesday voted to prolong a state of emergency for three
months in a vote that was more of a formality, as the ruling AK Party
commands a large majority and the opposition Nationalist Movement Party
had pledged its support of the move.
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![](../images/101216pics/news_r31.jpg)
A flag with the picture of Turkey's President Tayyip Erdogan is seen
during the Democracy and Martyrs Rally, organized by him and
supported by ruling AK Party (AKP), oppositions Republican People's
Party (CHP) and Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), to protest against
last month's failed military coup attempt, in Istanbul, Turkey,
August 7, 2016. REUTERS/Osman Orsal
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The main opposition People's Republican Party and third-biggest
Peoples' Democratic Party opposed the extension, citing worries that
innocent people were being targeted.
Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus said Turkey's entire
population had been harmed by supporters of Gulen, which the
government refers to as the Gülenist Terror Organisation (FETO).
"There are no victims in FETO - only the 79 million people FETO
victimized," he said on Wednesday.
(Writing by Tuvan Gumrukcu; Editing by Ayla Jean Yackley and Louise
Ireland)
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