Alwaght- Turkey has detained the chief adviser of the country's prime minister on suspicion of having links to Fethullah Gulen as the post-coup purge continues unabated.
According to the Hurriyet newspaper, Prime Minister Binali Yildirim's chief adviser, Birol Erdem, was detained together with his wife Gulumser Erdem in Ankara early on Saturday as part of an investigation conducted by the Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor.
Birol Erdem and his wife Gulumser Erdem
They are suspected of having links with US-based Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen, accused by Ankara of masterminding last year's failed coup.
Erdem gave testimony as witness within the framework of the investigation over Gulen's followers, which was launched last year, the newspaper reported.
A military coup attempt took place in Turkey in July 2016 but was quickly suppressed by government forces. More than 240 people were killed and an estimated 2,000 were wounded during the incident. Turkish authorities accused Gulen, who has lived in the US state of Pennsylvania since 1999, and his followers of playing a key role in the coup. The opposition leader has denied the accusations and condemned the attempted coup.
Since July, President Reccep Tayyip Erdogan’s government, has arrested and detained many on suspicion of links with Gulen.
Over 40,000 people have been arrested and 120,000 others sacked or suspended from a wide range of professions, including soldiers, police, teachers, and public servants, over alleged links with the coup attempt.
