Baku, Azerbaijan, Jan. 27
By Rufiz Hafizoglu - Trend:
An operation is being held in 11 provinces of Turkey against the supporters of the movement of Fethullah Gulen, an Islamic public figure, currently residing in the US, the Hurriyet newspaper said Jan. 27.
Some 26 people have already been detained during the operation. Among the detainees there are high-ranking police officials.
Earlier it was reported that a large-scale staff reshuffle is expected to take place in the government bodies of Turkey as part of fight against the Gulen movement.
It is expected that almost all the heads of Turkey's state structures will be replaced.
Fethullah Gulen [Islamic public figure currently residing in the US] is the founder of the Hizmet public movement, as well as, the Turkish Journalists and Writers Foundation. He has been accused of being involved in a huge wiretapping scandal by the Turkish government.
Turkish then Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan accused Gulen of standing behind the wiretapping of the phone conversations. Erdogan also stressed that Gulen's movement (which he earlier called as a 'parallel structure') with its anti-state activities proved that it is not a religious movement, but a politicized and illegal structure.
He called on Fethullah Gulen not to intervene in Turkey's internal affairs and accused the US of supporting him. A criminal case has been initiated in Turkey against Gulen for his coup attempt and espionage against the country.
Erdogan also previously said that Gulen will be extradited from the US. However, the US authorities said that his extradition is inadmissible.
Turkish police periodically holds operations on detaining Gulen's supporters. Some 19 people were detained in the country as a result of the raids on Jan.20.
Edited by SI
---
Follow the author on Twitter: @rhafizoglu