ISTANBUL (AP) — Police teams on Monday apprehended 136 personnel in operations conducted at three Istanbul courthouses as part of an investigation into the July 15 abortive coup.
Turkey’s state-run Anadolu news agency said the Istanbul chief public prosecutor’s office had issued detention orders for 173 personnel working at Istanbul’s Caglayan, Bakirkoy and Gaziosmanpasa courthouses. Of those, 136 were detained in Monday’s raids.
The operations are part of the government’s investigation into the movement led by U.S.-based Islamic cleric Fethullah Gulen. Ankara alleges Gulen was responsible for the violent coup attempt that left over 270 people dead. Gulen denies any involvement.
Police entered the courthouses Monday morning to detain the suspects and conduct searches of their offices and computers, while other teams were searching their homes.
Four courthouse personnel were detained last week as part of the same investigation.
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