Istanbul: Turkish police detained dozens of people suspected of arranging marriages for the group blamed for last year's failed coup after officers launched raids across 20 cities, state media reported Monday.
At least 62 people were taken into custody, state-run news agency Anadolu said, adding that 106 arrest warrants had been issued for people in cities including Istanbul.
They are accused of links to the movement run by US-based Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen, who Turkey claims masterminded the July 2016 attempted overthrow of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Gulen vehemently denies the accusations.
Turkish security services discovered that the suspects had been arranging marriages for members of the Gulen movement after scrutinising their communications on the encrypted messaging application ByLock, Anadolu said.
Ankara alleges that the app was used by the Gulen movement. The government also refers to the organisation as the "Fethullah Terrorist Organisation" (FETO) although Gulen rejects the term.
Anadolu said the wanted individuals, referred to as "marriage officials", are alleged members of "FETO's marriage unit" who would arrange unions for others in the group.
But Gulen, who has lived in self-imposed exile in Pennsylvania since 1999, insists his movement "Hizmet" (service in Turkish) is a peaceful organisation.
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