Turkish police arrest 23 journalists and television producers after raids on media outlets linked to U.S.-based Muslim cleric Sunday Dec 14,2014

Turkish police raided media outlets linked to U.S.-based Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen today and detained 23 journalists and television producers.

State broadcaster TRT Haber said 23 people were detained in raids across the country, including two former police chiefs. 

Staff and supporters of Zaman newspaper shout slogans as editor-in-chief Ekrem Dumanli, centre, is arrested by counter-terror police at the newspaper headquarters in Istanbul

 

 

A man holds a placard that reads 'a time for democracy' as people gather in support outside Zaman newspaper in Istanbul, Turkey

Supporters of cleric Fethullah Gulen Movement read the Koran and newspapers as they wait outside a courthouse after Turkish police began an operation targeting the media

The operation acted against what President Tayyip Erdogan claims is a network conspiring to topple him.Turkish police launched a sweeping operation to arrest supporters of President Tayyip Erdogan's rival, US-exiled imam Fethullah Gulen
 
Recep Tayyip Erdogan (left) and Fethullah Gulen were once close allies

The raids on Zaman newspaper and Samanyolu television marked an escalation of Mr Erdogan's battle with former ally US-exiled imam Fethullah Gulen