Ties with Turkey hit a new low earlier this week when a leaked German government report accused the country of being an Islamist “hub”.
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President Tayyip Erdogan has vowed to choke off businesses linked to US -based Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen, whom he blames for the July 15 coup attempt, describing his schools, firms and charities as “nests of terrorism”.
On Thursday, police officers broke into two hundred workplaces and households, trying to find all the citizens that appeared in 187 arrest warrants issued by a chief prosecutor.
Particularly, various news agencies report, almost 35,000 people have been arrested in the purge.
Other firms targeted included the fashion company Eroglu and the bakery Gulluoglu Baklava.
Rizanur Meral, the president of the Turkish Confederation of Businessmen and Industrialists (Tuskon), was among the suspects wanted by authorities, the private Dogan news agency reported.
Founded in 2005, Tuskon has 55,000 members and is accused by the government of financing pro-Gulen activities.
Meanwhile, police have carried out raids on 44 companies suspected of providing financial support to his movement.
Numerous people who have been either suspended from their government jobs or detained have been linked to the USA -based imam Fethullah Gulen, a former ally of the Turkish president turned enemy.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has vowed to eradicate businesses, charities and schools linked to Gulen, calling them “terror organisations” and “nests of terror”.
During a meeting with representatives of the federation of non-governmental organizations in the Muslim world, Erdogan said that there is no difference between PKK, the so-called the Islamic State (Daesh) and the parallel state which has been charged by the Turkish government with being behind the foiled coup attempt in mid-July. He has denounced the attempted coup and denied any responsibility.
In total, 40,029 people had been detained since the coup attempt, and about half had been formally arrested pending charges.
In an interview with A Haber television, Justice Minister Bekir Bozdag said 38,000 people would initially be released, but as many as 93,000 could benefit from the program.
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Gulen is involved in the organization of the July 15 military coup attempt in Turkey.
