Turkish police detained an eccentric religious leader and hundreds of his devotees on Wednesday on charges ranging from spying to sex abuse, thrilling one ex-disciple who described the group as a cult that imprisons its followers.
Adnan Oktar, a 62-year-old televangelist whose adherents include buxom beauties and young men in tailored suits, was detained in a pre-dawn raid at his Istanbul home, part of operations conducted in five provinces across the country to apprehend 235 suspects, reported the state-run Anadolu news agency. All 235 suspects have had their assets seized and the state has appointed administrators to run affiliated companies.
