Executives of a major Turkish company were among 100 people detained by police on Monday over allegations of funding the movement of Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen, a foe of President Tayyip Erdogan, state media said.
The raids were the latest police operations targeting thousands of supporters of the U.S.-based cleric, accused of leading what prosecutors described as a “Gulenist Terror Group” trying to overthrow Erdogan. Gulen denies the accusations.
Two board members of the Dumankaya construction group were named by state-run Anadolu Agency among those taken into custody. Dumankaya said in a statement that its board members had been invited to police headquarters to provide information.
Anadolu said the police operation, focused on Istanbul, was launched across nine provinces and 101 people have so far been taken into custody, with prosecutors having issued arrest warrants for 140 people under the probe.
Those held are accused of charges of membership and funding of a terror group and spreading terrorist propaganda, it said. The report added that they included 41 employees of Islamic lender Bank Asya, which was founded by followers of Gulen and seized by the government last year.
Various companies, including ones involved media, mining, furniture and cable-making having been probed and executives detained during police operations targeting Gulen’s followers.
Media outlets linked to him have been seized and some shut down.
Reuters
