Turkey Arrests 158 Military Personnel Linked to Gulen Network

In a sweeping operation conducted today (June 24, 2025), Turkish police arrested 158 military personnel suspected of ties to the network of the late cleric Fethullah Gulen. According to the Istanbul prosecutor’s office, these individuals are accused of being ‘Gulenists’ and are linked to the failed coup attempt in 2016, which is attributed to the infamous ‘Gulen network.’ This operation adds to approximately 50 other arrests made at the end of May 2024. The crackdown spanned 43 of Turkey’s 81 provinces, including Istanbul and Izmir. Eighteen additional military personnel remain at large, as announced by prosecutors, with most arrests targeting members of the Turkish land forces. Fethullah Gulen, who passed away in October 2024 in the U.S., was once a close ally of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan before becoming his sworn enemy. Ankara accuses Gulen’s followers of infiltrating Turkish institutions, including the judiciary, armed forces, police, and education system, aiming to create a ‘parallel state.’ Since the failed coup in 2016, nearly 26,000 people accused of ties to the Gulen movement, labeled ‘terrorist’ by Ankara, have been arrested. Over 9,000 have been imprisoned according to Turkish judicial records. Following Gulen’s death, President Erdogan vowed to pursue his followers ‘to the farthest corners of the world.’