Turkish police raid media offices of Erdogan rival

Istanbul, December 14

The Turkish police today launched a sweeping operation to arrest dozens of supporters of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s rival, US-exiled imam Fethullah Gulen, including a raid on the offices of the Zaman daily, which is close to the cleric.

The operation came just two days after Erdogan signalled a new crackdown against the “evil forces” of Gulen, whom the president accused of orchestrating a corruption probe a year ago against members of his inner circle.

The police conducted raids in several cities across Turkey, including Istanbul, and detained at least 24 people including a top executive of a television channel close to Gulen, as well as a director, producers and scriptwriters, state-run Anatolia news agency said.

Arrest warrants were issued for a total of 32 people, including Ekrem Dumanli, the chief editor of Zaman, the country’s top-selling newspaper.

Erdogan said Friday he would “pursue them (Gulen supporters) in their lairs”. “We are not just faced with a simple network, but one which is a pawn of evil forces at home and abroad,” he said. — AFP