Arrest warrants issued for 49 Turkish suspects over ties to IS, Gulen Movement
Ankara: The Turkish authorities have issued arrest warrants for 49 suspects in two investigations over their alleged ties to the Islamic State (IS) and the Gulen Movement, the Chief Public Prosecutor's office said Tuesday.
Among the 16 suspected members of the Gulen Movement, 11 people were detained in the capital Ankara, said the office in a statement.
The Turkish government accuses the Gulen movement of staging a failed coup on July 15, 2016, in which at least 250 people were killed.
Ankara said the U.S.-based Muslim preacher Fethullah Gulen was responsible for the coup attempt and has launched a massive crackdown on suspects with links to the Gulen Movement in the aftermath of the coup.
Meanwhile, the arrest warrants also sought 33 suspected IS members across eight provinces on charges of "opposition to the law on the prevention of financing of terrorism," and "being a member of an armed terrorist organization."
The Turkish government designated the IS a terrorist organization in 2013, blaming it for a spate of deadly attacks in the country since 2015.
(With UNI/XINHUA inputs)
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