Turkey Sacks 87 Spy Staff in First Purge of Agency After Failed Coup

Turkish tanks after the failed coup
Turkish army tanks move in the main streets in the early morning hours of July 16, 2016 in Ankara, Turkey. The country's spy agency purged 87 spy staff over the failed coup in July, the... Gokhan Sahin/Getty Images

Turkey has sacked 87 members of staff from its national spy agency over suspected links to the failed coup attempt in July, state media reported Tuesday.

The decision represents the first purge of the institution since the failed military overthrow of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

In an internal investigation, Turkey's National Intelligence Organization (MIT) suspended 141 members of staff over alleged association with the U.S.-based preacher Fethullah Gulen, who Ankara holds responsible for masterminding the coup plot through the creation of a parallel state within the country's state institutions.

Of the 141 suspended, 87 have been expelled, according to Turkey's Anadolu news agency, which added that they will never be able to work for another state institution. Authorities have issued criminal complaints against 52 of those sacked, it continued.

Turkish intelligence has since come under fire for not pre-empting the coup attempt and alerting the Turkish government. Erdogan had criticized the intelligence services and said he could not contact intelligence chief Hakan Fidan on the night of the coup, only finding out about the putsch from his brother-in-law, according to AFP news agency.

Following the failed coup attempt, which claimed the lives of at least 273 people and left 2,200 injured, Turkish authorities proceeded to purge state institutions, such as the judiciary, police and military, of suspected members of Gulen's movement, as well as the education system and media. Erdogan has vowed to end Gulen's influence in Turkish government and society, branding them "nests of terrorism."

Turkish police have also launched a series of raids on dozens of companies suspected of providing financial support to Gulen's movement. He denies any involvement in the coup plot.

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