More than 200 people , or " secret imams " , have been arrested by Turkish authorities , accused of infiltrating police forces across the country on behalf of a former ally of President Erdogan , Istanbul - based cleric Fethullah Gulen , who was blamed by Erdogan for last year 's failed coup . Another 9,103 people from the police force were arrested on Sunday , according to police headquarters in Ankara , which cited links with Gulen 's network . Mass detentions immediately after the attempted coup were supported by many Turks, who agreed with Erdogan when he blamed Gulen for orchestrating the putsch which killed 240 people, mostly civilians. The president compared the struggle against Gulen with the state 's battle against Islamic State and Kurdish PKK militants .
More than 200 people , or " secret imams " , have been arrested by Turkish authorities , accused of infiltrating police forces across the country on behalf of a former ally of President Erdogan , Istanbul - based cleric Fethullah Gulen , who was blamed by Erdogan for last year 's failed coup . Another 9,103 people from the police force were arrested on Sunday , according to police headquarters in Ankara , which cited links with Gulen 's network . The president compared the struggle against Gulen with the state 's battle against Islamic State and Kurdish PKK militants .