Turkey seeks detention of 171 former university staff over failed coup

ISTANBUL, Dec. 27 (Xinhua) -- Turkish prosecutors on Wednesday issued detention warrants for 171 former staff members with the closed Fatih University over their alleged links to a network accused of orchestrating a failed coup last year.

Police launched simultaneous operations in 29 provinces across the country to detain 54 suspects including academics, the state-run Anadolu Agency said.

The Istanbul-based Fatih University was shut down last year over suspected ties to the network led by the U.S.-based Turkish cleric Fethullah Gulen, who is blamed for a coup bid in July that left 250 people dead.

More than 150,000 people have been dismissed or suspended from their posts while over 55,000 others have been arrested in the ongoing investigation and crackdown. Enditem