Turkey captures three senior Gulenists from Gabon

ANKARA, April 10 (Xinhua) -- Three senior suspected members of Gulen Movement were brought back to Turkey from the central African country of Gabon, state-run Anadolu Agency reported Tuesday.

Three suspects had been captured in an operation carried out by the National Intelligence Organization (MIT) and brought to Ankara from Libreville in a private jet, the report said.

The suspects, Osman Ozpinar, Ibrahim Akbas and Adnan Demironal, were directors of the schools run by Gulen Movement and they were also users of ByLock, an encrypted messaging app the Turkish government says is used by the supporters of Fetullah Gulen.

Turkey's National Intelligence Organization (MIT) has nabbed nearly 80 citizens in covert operations in 18 countries over accusations being linked to the coup attempt in 2016, Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Bekir Bozdag said on April 5.

Ankara believes Fethullah Gulen, a U.S.-based Islamic cleric, masterminded a failed coup attempt in 2016 and leads a terror group called the Fethullah Terror Organisation (FETO).

Gulen has denied any involvement in the July 2016 coup attempt.

President Erdogan on Monday urged Kyrgyzstan to take action against the Gulen Movement during a visit by the country's new President Sooronbai Jeenbekov to Ankara.

"No matter where they run or how much they run, we will go after them," he said.

Gulen movement, had built a network of schools abroad -- notably in Africa, the Balkans and Turkic Central Asian states. Turkish authorities put pressure to countries hosting Gulenist schools to close them and extradite its nationals linked to the group.

Turkish government has arrested about nearly 50,000 people and fired or suspended 150,000 others from public posts in the coup's aftermath. Enditem