Turkey issues arrest warrants for 103 suspects over alleged links with coup attempt
November 16, 2021, 3:10 pm

Turkey issues arrest warrants for 103 suspects over alleged links with coup attempt

Flag of Turkey-National flag/Pixabay

The Xinhua reported that Turkey on Tuesday issued arrest warrants for at least 103 suspects over their alleged links to a network accused of orchestrating a coup attempt in 2016.

The prosecutor's office of the capital Ankara said in a written statement, a warrant was issued for 76 suspects across 28 provinces as part of an investigation into the Gulen Movement's "structuring" in gendarmerie command.

In a separate statement on Tuesday, the Ankara prosecutor's office said the arrest warrants were issued for 27 other suspects, at least 20 of whom were detained within the scope of an investigation into the leaking of exam questions of military schools by the members of the movement.

Turkey-Red tram in Istanbul/Pixabay

The Turkish government accuses the group of infiltrating into the state bureaucracy and then attempting a coup on July 15, 2016.

Ankara says U.S.-based cleric Fethullah Gulen was behind the plot, in which at least 250 people were killed.

The Turkish government has launched a massive crackdown on suspects with links to the network in the aftermath of the coup attempt.

Source: xinhua

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Upon arriving to participate in the summit of the European Political Community, which includes around forty heads of state in Budapest, he said, "I look forward to sitting with the elected U.S. president and seeing how we will collectively ensure we meet challenges, including the threats from Russia and North Korea." He also noted that the strengthening of ties between Russia and North Korea poses a threat to the United States as well, according to reports from Agence France-Presse.

Before Trump's victory, Rutte expressed confidence that a united Washington would remain part of the defensive alliance, even if Trump became the 47th president of the United States. In an interview with German public broadcaster ZDF last Monday night, he stated that both Republicans and Democrats understand that NATO serves not only the security of Europe but also that of America. He added that both candidates are aware that the security of the United States is closely tied to NATO.

On Wednesday, NATO congratulated Trump on his victory but did not address the Ukrainian issue.

It is noteworthy that the relationship between the elected U.S. president and the defense alliance was not the best during his first term in the White House. Trump criticized NATO member states multiple times and even hinted at withdrawing from the alliance unless they increased their financial contributions.

Additionally, the issue of the Russian-Ukrainian war is one of the matters that complicate relations between the two sides, especially since Trump has repeatedly stated that he can end this ongoing conflict, which began in 2022, quickly. He implied that he had a peace plan between Kyiv and Moscow, while his vice president, JD Vance, revealed aspects of that plan, which stipulated Ukraine's commitment not to join NATO, thereby sending reassuring signals to the Russians.

Furthermore, many NATO member states in Europe fear that Trump might halt military aid to Ukraine after he previously criticized the U.S. for pouring funds into supporting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.