Turkey Detains Business Executive, Alleging Gulen Link

W460

Turkey has detained an executive from a major business conglomerate under a probe into supporters of the Muslim cleric blamed for July's failed coup, state media reported Thursday.

Barbaros Muratoglu, of Dogan Holding, was held in connection with the investigation into followers of preacher Fethullah Gulen.

State news agency Anadolu said Muratoglu is accused of conducting media activities for a "terrorist organization" (FETO) and being a "FETO member in this way". FETO is how Turkey refers to "Fethullah Terror Organization".

The company responded by issuing a statement that said the claims amounted to "slander" and "distortion."

Muratoglu was held at 6am (0300 GMT) in Ankara and taken to Istanbul, Hurriyet daily, which itself is owned by Dogan Holding, reported.

Turkey accuses Gulen -- currently in self-imposed exile in the United States -- of masterminding the July 15 attempt to overthrow President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's government. Gulen denies the charges.

Dogan Holding is one of Turkey's biggest conglomerates with interests in retail, energy, tourism and media including Hurriyet and the Posta daily, Dogan news agency and broadcaster CNN Turk.

The Dogan news agency carried a statement from its parent group denying that the company or Muratoglu, its Ankara representative, had links to Gulen or his movement.

"We see that some media organs are finding this an opportunity to falsely claim that there is investigation into the Dogan group," the statement read.

"It it clear there is no connection between our group and this illegal structure."

The Dogan group's shares fell after the reports emerged and were down 5.7 percent to 0.66 Turkish lira, at 1430 GMT.

"In its 58 years of business and 40 years in the media sector, the Dogan Group has been against all kinds of terror and terrorist organizations, and together with its state and its people," the statement added.

More than 100,000 people from the civil service, judiciary, military, media and education sector have been detained, dismissed or suspended over alleged links to the coup-plotters.

While there has been international concern over the widescale purges, Ankara insists it is dealing with a real threat and must remove Gulen supporters from the state.

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