ANKARA, Turkey — Turkish antiterrorism police carried out raids in six cities on Tuesday, detaining at least five people with alleged links to Al Qaeda, including two employees of a government-supported Islamic charity group that provides aid to Syria, media reports and officials said.
The police operation came as Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s government is fighting allegations of corruption. It has been forced to dismiss three government ministers whose sons were detained in raids by police investigating alleged illegal money transfers to Iran and bribery for construction projects.
The government says the corruption probe was instigated by followers of a moderate Islamic movement led by US-based cleric Fethullah Gulen. The government insists that Gulen’s supporters have infiltrated Turkey’s police and judiciary and are out to discredit the government ahead of local elections in March. Gulen denies being behind the vast police corruption probe that has targeted people close to Erdogan.
At least three people were detained in simultaneous police raids in Istanbul while two other people were detained in the Kayseri and in Kilis.