In another massive crackdown Turkey has arrested over 1,000 people and more than nine thousand police have been suspected to be supporting the US-based preacher Fethullah Gulen who is accused of masterminding the failed coup attempt last year against President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
A statement released by the government reveals 9,103 police officers have been suspended as they are suspected to have links with the preacher, who has denied orchestrating July’s coup attempt.
Gulen is living in exile in the US since 1999.
Very recently Erdogan narrowly won a referendum on ramping up his powers and now the opponents fear the country will henceforth will be a one-man rule.
According to official Anadolu news agency a total of 1,120 suspects have been detained in the dawn raids across the country and about 4,672 are being suspected, of whom 1,448 are in prison. This means arrest warrants have been issued for 3,224 people.
390 warrants have been issued in Istanbul alone.
The news agency further added about 8,500 police officers conducted the raids.
The Turkish government has asked United States on various occasions to extradite Gulen.
Since the coup attempt about 47,000 people have been detained and the country was under state of emergency for nine months.
Following the referendum just over a week ago the government has extended emergency for another three months to 19 July.
The president has vowed to be wiping out Gulen’s virus from state institutions.
In a recent interview the Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said a new anti-Gulen crackdown is soon to come.