Turkish officials say they have detained a top official to cleric Fethullah Gulen, whom Ankara blames for an attempted coup earlier this month.
Officials said Hail Hanci, described as Gulen’s “right-hand man,” was detained on July 23 in the province of Trabzon. The official said Hanci “apparently” entered the country two days before the July 15 coup attempt.
Gulen, who lives in self-imposed exile in the United States, has denied all involvement with the coup.
Earlier on July 23, officials said they had detained Muhammed Sait Gulen, a nephew of Fethullah Gulen’s.
In a televised statement on July 24, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said a total of 13,156 people have been arrested in connection with the attempted coup, including 126 generals.
“The country has gotten rid of its illness and is making a recovery,” Erdogan said.