Are Turkey's Salafi groups taking up arms?

Reports of increasing private gun ownership among radical Islamist Salafi groups have shed light on the risks of rising Salafism and individual armament in Turkey.

Concern surrounding the armament of Salafi groups was set off when Muslim televangelist Ahmet Mahmut Unlu — also known as the Cloaked Ahmet Hodja — made headlines in early September when he warned Turkish authorities about the rising armament among Salafi associations. “There are around 2,000 associations. These are taking up arms,” Unlu said in a televised interview on Sept. 9, warning the groups were “getting ready for a civil war.” Unlu said he can name more than 200 of the associations.

Unlu’s warning prompted Turkey's Interior Ministry to launch an investigation on the matter, with Turkish Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu saying Oct. 1 that Unlu would soon be invited to testify in front of officials about his claims.

Although Unlu’s remarks have set off a broader public discussion on the subject, concerns over the Salafi presence in Turkey is not new. According to a 2015 intelligence report, Salafi ideology has around 20,000 supporters in Turkey.