Alwaght- Security forces in Turkey arrested the brother of US-based opposition leader Fethullah Gulen who is accused by Ankara for plotting mid-July failed coup attempt.
Turkish police accused Kutbettin Gulen of “membership of an armed terror group” after arresting him in Gaziemir district of the western province of Izmir on Sunday.
The arrest is the latest in a series of similar detentions of Gulen’s close relatives, many of whom were arrested during the last two months. He has five brothers and two sisters, but their current whereabouts are unknown.
In July, police detained Gulen's nephew, Muhammet Sait Gulen, in the eastern city of Erzurum, long seen as one of the hubs for his supporters. Ahmet Ramiz Gulen, another nephew, was arrested in August in the southeastern city of Gaziantep.
Some units of Turkish army initiated a coup attempt in July to overthrow the President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The move was rapidly foiled when supporters of the president took to the streets.
Ankara immediately blamed Gulen for plotting the attempt and an extensive arrest and suspension of his supporters began throughout the country.
Official figures show some 32,000 people have been arrested for their alleged role in the coup attempt. Nearly 100,000 people in the military, civil service, police and judiciary have been sacked or suspended.
