Erdogan vs. Hizmet: Dozens Arrested for Anti-State Activities!

On the orders of Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, an extensive operation to arrest individuals involved in espionage and anti-state activities began across Turkey last night, reports from that country's media indicate, as relayed by the BH News Agency Patria (NAP).

According to CNN Turk, this is Erdogan's counter-strike against members of the Hizmet community controlled by Fethullah Gulen, a Turkish expatriate living in the United States, just weeks before elections in that country.

Dozens of high-ranking police officials who were involved in the investigation into alleged corruption within Erdogan's government, which led to the resignation of several ministers, have been arrested. Erdogan had then accused members of this community of orchestrating a coup against the government and establishing a "parallel state".

However, according to the latest information, 76 police officials have now been arrested on charges of espionage and belonging to a criminal organization that, it is claimed, illegally conducted wiretapping, surveillance, and other activities characterized as anti-state.

In an interview yesterday, Erdogan announced that he would "cleanse state structures" and would request the US's stance on the Hizmet leader and the issuance of an Interpol red notice for Gulen.

The rift between Erdogan's Justice and Development Party and Gulen's Hizmet has been a top topic for months in Turkey, as well as in Bosnia and Herzegovina, where these events are closely monitored. It is already known that there are members of the Hizmet community in BiH, as well as a large number of sympathizers and supporters of the current Turkish government and Prime Minister Erdogan, reports the BH News Agency Patria (NAP).