Turkey seeks arrest of 122 more for alleged coup links

ANKARA: Turkish police launched nationwide raids on Tuesday to detain 122 individuals accused of ties to the group blamed for a 2016 coup attempt, state media reported.

Prosecutors from Istanbul, Konya and Izmir issued dozens of arrest warrants for suspects including soldiers -- some still on active duty and some already sacked -- according to the Anadolu news agency.

The agency said 41 suspects had been caught so far.

Since the attempted overthrow of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, tens of thousands have been detained on suspicion of ties to US-based Muslim preacher Fethullah Gulen, who is accused of ordering the failed coup.

He strongly denies the accusation.

Since 2016, more than 140,000 public sector employees have been sacked or suspended over suspected links to Gulen.

There have been hundreds of detentions in recent months despite criticism from Western allies and rights activists who say Ankara is using the purge to target opponents.

Turkish officials say the raids are necessary to remove Gulen's influence from state institutions.