ANKARA, April 19 (Xinhua) -- Turkish police on Tuesday detained at least 113 suspects over their alleged links to a movement accused of orchestrating a coup attempt in 2016.
According to the statement by the office of the capital Ankara's chief prosecutor, an arrest warrant was issued for 34 suspects for their suspected affiliation with the "public service structure" of the Gulen movement. At least 30 people have been detained so far in police raids across 19 provinces, semi-official Anadolu Agency reported.
The Turkish government accuses the Gulen movement of infiltrating into the state institutions and mounting a coup on July 15, 2016.
In a separate investigation by the prosecutor of the western province of Izmir, an arrest warrant was issued for 99 suspects, who are 31 active-duty soldiers, three former soldiers and 65 former military school students, on accusations of being affiliated with the movement.
Among the 99 wanted suspects are 25 from the Land Forces, two from the Navy and seven from the Gendarmerie General Command. The police have detained 71 of them and are hunting the others, according to Anadolu.
In another raid in Istanbul Province, 12 suspects were detained as part of an investigation into the Gulen movement.
The Gulen movement was founded and named after Muslim preacher Fethullah Gulen, who is regarded by his followers as a spiritual leader.
Turkey accuses U.S.-based Gulen of masterminding the 2016 coup in which at least 250 people were killed, and has been cracking down on suspects with links to the movement since the failed coup.
Washington has been reluctant to extradite self-exiled Gulen, citing lack of hard evidence from Ankara against the Islamic cleric. ■