Turkish police have detained 353 people as part of an investigation into a well-known döner restaurant chain in Turkey for alleged links to the faith-based Gülen movement, a group accused by the Turkish government of orchestrating a coup attempt in 2016, Turkish Minute reported, citing the announcement of Turkey’s Ministry of Interior.
As part of the investigation, 353 people, including six business associates of Maydonoz (Parsley) Döner, its employees and 10 civil servants, were detained in simultaneous operations across 31 provinces, according to Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya.
The business associates are identified in the Turkish media as Cuma Dağlı, Engin Kayıkçı, Ömer Faruk Ekim, Yücel Bahri Öntemel, Mehmet Kaşlı and Ömer Şeyhin.
The company, established in 2018 by Şeyhin, grew rapidly, opening more than 400 restaurants across Turkey and in several in foreign countries.
The investigation into Maydonoz Döner is being overseen by the Antalya Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office.
Yerlikaya announced on X on Friday that the detainees are accused of providing funds to “Fetö” through the restaurant chain.
Fetö is a derogatory term coined by the Turkish government to refer to the Gülen movement as a terrorist organization.
Over the last decade Turkish-Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen, who died at the age of 83 in the US last October, and his movement, which in the past had been praised by the Turkish government for their activities in education and inter-religious and intercultural dialogue, have faced various accusations from the government, including masterminding corruption investigations in 2013 and the coup attempt in July 2016.
The Turkish government labeled Gülen and his movement “terrorists” in May 2016.
Gülen and his followers have strongly denied any involvement in the coup or any terrorist activity but have been the subject of a harsh crackdown for a decade, which intensified in the aftermath of the abortive putsch.
According to the minister, the company operated under a franchise system, allegedly allowing individuals previously investigated for links to the Gülen movement to enter into unofficial partnerships in exchange for payments.
The company only allowed new partners with references from within the movement, a system they allegedly referred to as “Reference-Based Growth” (RTB). These unofficial partnerships were based on organizational trust rather than formal agreements. Franchise locations were used to provide employment and financial support to Gülen-linked individuals, with a portion of the revenue allegedly directed to the group.
Further investigations by Turkey’s Financial Crimes Investigation Board (MASAK) revealed that the company was financed through individuals with no prior legal records, disguising these transfers as “product purchases” to transfer money to alleged Gülen members.
According to the minister’s statement, some franchise locations were used for secret meetings involving individuals wanted by the government due to their Gülen links.
Since the coup attempt, at least 705,172 people have been investigated on terrorism or coup-related charges due to their alleged links to the movement. There are currently at least 13,251 people in prison as a result of pretrial detention or convictions related to terrorism in Gülen-linked trials.
The Turkish government also appointed a trustee to Maydonoz Döner on Friday following the detentions, a practice it used widely following the coup attempt to seize businesses with links to the Gülen movement.
The operation is part of a broader crackdown on alleged Gülen supporters, with the government continuing to target individuals and businesses suspected of being connected to the group.
A report last year titled “Persecutory Confiscation Amounting to Crimes Against Humanity: Case of the Gülen Group” exposed the vast scale of property confiscations in Turkey targeting the movement, with an estimated value of $50 billion and affecting over 1.5 million people in what the authors call systematic and widespread violations of domestic and international law that amount to “crimes against humanity.”
