 |
| File Photo: Turkish riot police confronting civilians |
Turkish police launched an operation on Wednesday to detain 235 people associated with Muslim author and televangelist Adnan Oktar over accusations including forming a criminal gang, fraud and sexual abuse, Istanbul police headquarters said.
It said in a statement the raids were carried out by its financial crimes section in an operation state-run Anadolu news agency described as having been spread across five provinces and that searches of properties were continuing.
Police launched one raid in the early hours on Oktarโs house at Cengelkoy on the Asian side of Istanbul and detained him and his guards, the Sabah newspaper said.
In February, Turkeyโs television watchdog suspended a television programme hosted by Oktar that blended theological discussion and dancing, saying it violated gender equality and womenโs rights.
Oktar hosts talk show programmes on his television channel, A9, on which he has discussed Islamic values and sometimes danced with young women he calls โkittensโ and sang with young men, his โlionsโ.
In 2006, Oktar wrote the Atlas of Creation under his pen-name Harun Yahya, arguing that Darwinโs theory of evolution is at the root of global terrorism. He has written more than 300 books, translated into 73 languages, his channel says on its website.
