ISTANBUL, April 16 (Xinhua) -- Turkish police arrested 36 suspects on Tuesday for their alleged involvement in a failed coup attempt in 2016, local media reported.
According to the state-run Anadolu agency, police conducted simultaneous operations targeting 45 suspects across the western province of Izmir, with 36 of them apprehended so far.
Izmir Chief Public Prosecutor's Office Terror Crimes Investigation Bureau revealed that among the wanted suspects, 27 were shopkeepers, and 18 others were "hiding in cell houses," according to the report.
The suspects are believed to be affiliated with the Gulen movement, a network led by the U.S.-based cleric Fethullah Gulen, and blamed by the Turkish government for orchestrating the coup attempt on July 15, 2016, resulting in the deaths of at least 250 people.
The agency added that authorities also confiscated cash totaling 65,400 U.S. dollars, gold coins, gold bracelets, and several digital items.
Following the 2016 coup attempt, the Turkish government initiated a widespread crackdown on individuals suspected of having ties to the movement. ■
