Turkey presses on with mass arrests in post-coup purge

Turkish prosecutors issued arrest warrants for 243 military personnel over the attempted coup throughout the country, reported the state-run Anadolu Agency on Wednesday.

The suspects are believed to have used Bylock, an encrypted cell phone messaging application which the government says was used by Fethullah Gulen's network, the U.S.-based cleric Ankara accuses of masterminding the coup attempt.

Police forces launched operations across 54 provinces following the arrest warrants issued by prosecutors in Istanbul.

Previously, the public prosecutor's office also issued arrest warrants for 575 military personnel based upon the same allegations.

A little over 350 suspects were detained by the police.

Turkey has been conducting an extensive investigation of suspects with alleged links to Gulenists following the coup attempt on July 15, 2016.

Operations are ongoing in the military, police and judiciary fields, as well as in state institutions across the country.

source: Xinhua