Turkish Intel Arrests Six Members of Gulen Movement in Kosovo – Reports

ANKARA (Sputnik) - Officers of Turkey’s National Intelligence Organization (MIT), in cooperation with Kosovo’s intelligence service, have detained 6 senior alleged members of the Islamic cleric Fethullah Gulen's movement, accused by Ankara of being behind the 2016 failed coup attempt in the country, local media reported Thursday.

The detention took place following the Ankara-led operation against the Gulen movement in the Balkan region, the Anadolu news agency said, referring to its sources.

According to the agency, the detainees are accused of helping FETO members flee Turkey to countries like the United States.

READ MORE: Turkish Police Use Tear Gas Against Anti-US Protest During Tillerson's Visit

The detainees — Cihan Ozkan, Kahraman Demirez, Hasan Huseyin Gunakan, Mustafa Erdem, Osman Karakaya, and Yusuf Karabina — were brought back to Turkey, where they are all wanted as FETO fugitives, the agency added.

A military coup attempt took place in Turkey in July 2016. It was quickly suppressed by government forces, but over 240 people were killed and an estimated 2,000 were wounded. Ankara has accused Gulen, who has lived in the US state of Pennsylvania since 1999, and his followers of playing a key role in the coup. Gulen and his supporters have strongly denied having played any role in the incident and called for an international investigation.

Since July 2016, Ankara has arrested thousands of public servants, military personnel, education workers, activists and journalists over suspected links to Gulen and his movement.