Turkish prosecutors say operation launched against Cumhuriyet executives

ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Turkish authorities ordered the detention of executives from Cumhuriyet newspaper on Monday on accusations they committed crimes on behalf of Kurdish militants and the "Gulenist Terror Organisation" (FETO), the Istanbul prosecutor's office said. An investigation was launched in August into several executives after allegations that the newspaper's publications were of a nature that legitimised a July 15 failed coup, the prosecutor's office said in a statement. Ankara blames the supporters of U.S.-based cleric Fethullah Gulen for the coup attempt. The government refers to his network as the Gulenist Terror Organisation (FETO). Gulen has denied involvement in the putsch. Earlier on Monday, police detained the editor of Cumhuriyet, one of Turkey's few remaining opposition dailies, and searched the homes of some executives. The statement said the executives were accused of committing crimes on behalf of or in the name of FETO and Kurdish militants without necessarily being members. (Reporting by Humeyra Pamuk; Writing by Daren Butler; Editing by Nick Tattersall)