Police raid Gülen schools, detain 26 on tax fraud charges

As part of the investigation into the Gülen Movement's alleged illegal activities, police units from the southern province of Kahramanmaraş raided schools and educational institutions of the movement and took 26 people into custody on suspicion of tax fraud.

Wednesday's raids were conducted simultaneously in central Kahramanmaraş and its Türkoğlu, Afşin, Göksün, Elbistan and Andırın districts. Computers on the premises were seized to be investigated by forensics teams. Turkey is preparing for a comprehensive fight against the Gülen Movement following the last National Security Council (MGK) meetings, the latest of which took place on June 29 and which recognized illegal structures as a threat against Turkey's national security.

According to reports, the MGK prepared a recommendation letter to fight the Gülen Movement, which was submitted to the Prime Ministry shortly after the meeting. The letter was recently approved by the Cabinet and became a decree. The precautions to be taken in the scope of the decree will be passed on to all institutions as circulars, paving the way for the preparation of a "Parallel Structure" Action Plan. The decree will thereby implement a comprehensive blockage against the Gülen Movement.

The MGK meeting underscored that any structure that poses a threat to the unity and security of the state should be recognized as a threat to national security. "A target has been specified that covers all attempts directed at obstructing the stability of elected governments or the will of the people," the MGK recommendation read.