Turkey Detains 28 Over Alleged Links To Erdogan Foe

June 25, 2016

Turkish police have detained 28 people over allegations of funding the movement of U.S.-based Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen, a foe of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

In the latest crackdown against Gulen's supporters in Turkey, police carried out simultaneous raids on June 25 in several cities including Istanbul as well as Konya and Kayseri in central Anatolia, the privately-owned Dogan News Agency reported.

Police operations have targeted thousands of supporters of the cleric, who has been accused of leading what authorities describe as a "Gulenist terror group" trying to overthrow Erdogan. Gulen rejects the claims.

Gulen and Erdogan were allies until police and prosecutors seen as sympathetic to Gulen opened a corruption investigation into Erdogan's inner circle in 2013.

Thousands of police officers, prosecutors, and judges were dismissed or reassigned for alleged links to the cleric.

In late May Erdogan designated the religious movement of Gulen a terrorist group.

Based on reporting by Reuters and AFP