Police officers and bureaucrats loyal to an exiled cleric based in the US are among dozens of people who have been arrested by Turkish authorities in an ongoing crackdown on a group whose members have become bitter rivals of the president,Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
Dawn raids on Tuesday targeted figures allied to a wide-ranging movement that pledges allegiance to Fethullah Gülen, a preacher who is set to stand trial in absentia for allegedly working to topple Erdoğan. They come just a day and a half after the ruling Justice and Development party (AKP) founded by Erdoğansecured a sweeping victory in snap elections that will see it return to single-party rule.
The prosecutor’s office in the western city of Izmir said it ordered the arrest of 57 people believed to be members of the “Gülenist terror group”.
It is the latest move in a campaign against the group that once enjoyed a pervasive presence in the judiciary and security services and helped orchestrate the prosecution of numerous military officials accused of plotting to overthrow the AKP-led government in the past.
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