Turkish prosecutors issued arrest warrants for 380 businessmen accused of providing financial support to the network of US-based preacher Fethullah Gulen, who is believed by authorities to have orchestrated the failed coup of July 15, media reports said on Thursday.
Turkey’s Anadolu Agency said prosecutors had also issued demands for searches of the suspects’ homes and offices. Gulen denies accusations of involvement in the attempted putsch, in which more than 240 people were killed.
Authorities have detained, dismissed or suspended some 120,000 people since the July coup attempt, although thousands have since returned to their posts. The government says the extent of the crackdown is justified by the gravity of the threat to the state.
Dogan Holding executives arrested
Also on Thursday, police detained the top legal advisor and a former chief executive of Dogan Holding, one of Turkey’s biggest conglomerates, also over alleged links to Gulen.
Dogan has interests in media, finance, energy and tourism and owns newspaper Hurriyet and broadcaster CNN Turk
In its statement to the Istanbul stock exchange, the business group said Thursday’s detentions were part of same investigation which led to the arrest of another executive, Barbaros Muratoglu, last month.
“The search has been carried out solely in the personal offices of the mentioned executives and there is no situation that has an impact on the operations of our company or its subsidiaries,” the statement said.
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