Turkey detains 150 soldiers over alleged coup links
Turkish police on 11 May detained 150 soldiers over suspected links to the movement Ankara blames for the 2016 failed coup, state media reported.
The Istanbul prosecutor had issued arrest warrants for 300 soldiers, including 211 on active duty, state news agency Anadolu said.
Since the July 2016 attempted putsch more than 50,000 people have been arrested and 140,000 public workers, including military personnel, have been sacked or suspended over alleged links to the US-based preacher Fethullah Gulen or Kurdish militants.
Turkey accuses Gulen, who lives in self-imposed exile in Pennsylvania, of ordering the failed coup. He strongly denies the claims and insists his movement is peaceful.
Istanbul police took 150 soldiers into custody during the latest operation, Anadolu reported said, as part of an investigation into the Gulen movement inside the armed forces.
Some 8,500 Turkish armed forces personnel have been sacked so far, including 150 generals, which is more than half of the military’s pre-coup contingent of top-ranking officers.
In April 2018, Turkish Defence Minister Nurettin Canikli said authorities would soon dismiss nearly 3,000 more military personnel via emergency decree.
Five days after the coup bid, Turkey introduced a state of emergency which was renewed for a seventh time in April 2018 despite Ankara’s Western allies calling for it to end.
You may also like
More from Defence Notes
-
![Intelligence innovation: From data overload to decision advantage (Podcast)]()
Intelligence innovation: From data overload to decision advantage (Podcast)
As militaries face an overwhelming flow of data, the challenge is shifting from collection to delivering fast, actionable insights that drive decision-making. Advances in AI and data integration are helping armed forces move beyond siloed systems to generate real-time intelligence across domains and allies.
-
![SAHA 2026 to Convene the Global Defence Ecosystem]()
SAHA 2026 to Convene the Global Defence Ecosystem
SAHA 2026 brings global defence and aerospace leaders to Istanbul for partnerships, launches, panels and high-value meetings.
-
![Teledyne FLIR adds GPS-denied 3D-mapping capabilities to its CBRN uncrewed platforms]()
Teledyne FLIR adds GPS-denied 3D-mapping capabilities to its CBRN uncrewed platforms
In a partnership with Emesent, Teledyne FLIR will equip its autonomous air, ground and detection systems with the Hovermap LiDAR payload in a move that highlights a broader market shift towards modular architectures, shared payloads and interoperability across platforms.
-
![US seeks 32% boost for missile defence budget with $23 billion earmarked for interceptors]()
US seeks 32% boost for missile defence budget with $23 billion earmarked for interceptors
The Pentagon’s proposed budget for the next fiscal year includes an impressive increase in the procurement of interceptors, with the number of the US Army’s PAC-3 MSE rounds expanding by 683%, the US Navy’s Standard Missile by 365% and the MDA’s SM-3 IIA by more than 1,000%.
-
![US Army partners with Global Military Products to surge munitions production]()
US Army partners with Global Military Products to surge munitions production
Global Military Products was selected by the US Army to operate the Quad Cities Cartridge Case Facility and ramp up the production of various calibre shell cases.
