Turkey orders arrest of 238 over alleged links to US-based cleric Fethullah Gulen

• Arrest warrants for 238 suspects issued by prosecutors in Izmir
• At least 160 arrested across Turkish provinces and TRNC
• Suspects include 218 active-duty military personnel 

Turkey has ordered the arrest of 238 people over alleged links to US-based cleric Fethullah Gulen, who Ankara says was behind the failed 2016 coup, the Anadolu Agency reported on Tuesday.

At least 160 suspects have already been arrested in a series of operations across 60 provinces and the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC), security sources told the state-owned publication.

The development came after prosecutors in the Izmir province had issued the warrants as part of a probe into the Gulen group's infiltration into the Turkish Armed Forces.

The suspects include 218 active-duty military personnel.

Since the coup attempt, about 80,000 people have been held pending trial and some 150,000 civil servants, military personnel, and others have been sacked or suspended. More than 20,000 people had been expelled from the Turkish military.