Anti-FETÖ operation combs 44 firms in Istanbul

Turkish police have launched simultaneous raids on 44 companies in Istanbul on Tuesday, and carried warrants to detain 120 company executives as part of the investigation into the July 15 coup bid by a group of Fetullah Terrorist Organization/Parallel State Structure (FETÖ/PDY) members.

The companies were accused of giving financial support to FETÖ/PDY, headed by Fetullah Gülen, who is the plotter of the July 15 bid.

Police began searches in the Üsküdar and Ümraniye districts of Istanbul, including buildings belonging to an unnamed holding company.

The search in the companies continue; however, the companies involved have not been disclosed.

Since the coup, more than 35,000 people have been detained, of whom 17,000 have been placed under formal arrest, and tens of thousands more have been suspended in a purge of Turkey's military, law-and-order, education and justice systems.

Fetullah Gülen is also accused of a long-running campaign to overthrow the state through the infiltration of Turkish institutions, particularly the military, police and judiciary, forming what is commonly known as the "parallel state".