Turkey suspends 9000 police for ‘terrorist’ links
ISTANBUL: More than 9000 police officers have been suspended by the Turkish Government for alleged links to the network of a USbased Islamist cleric, whom Ankara says orchestrated last year’s failed coup.
The personnel were stood down yesterday for their connections with the ‘‘terrorist organisation of Fethullah Gulen’’, the General Security Directorate said.
Emergency powers were granted to the Government after the failed coup in July, allowing Ankara to take exceptional measures to guarantee security.
Some 2500 of the suspended police officers are in Istanbul, another 1350 in Ankara and the rest in other provinces around the country.
It comes a few hours after at least 1120 people — most of them police officers or other security agents — were arrested for alleged links to the cleric’s network.
Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu said the arrests were an important step in ‘‘uncovering and destroying a structure that has infiltrated our security directorate’’.
Gulen, who has been living in selfimposed exile in the US, has denied any connection with the coup.
Turkish police have arrested more than 110,000 people for supporting Gulen after the coup.
More than 40,000 are awaiting trial behind bars, including 10,000 police, 7000 soldiers and 168 generals, as well as 2000 judges and prosecutors, the Turkish Interior Ministry reported in early April.
The Turkish Government has also fired by decree some 140,000 public employees for alleged links to the Islamist organisation. — EFE