Istanbul (AFP) - The Turkish authorities announced on Tuesday the arrest of more than 500 people suspected of having links to the preacher Fethullah Gulen, whom the Turkish authorities accuse of the July 2016 coup attempt.

Turkish Interior Minister Suleiman Soylu said, "704 arrest warrants have been issued and 543 people have been arrested."

The arrests, which were carried out in 59 of the 81 Turkish provinces, targeted the financial structure of the preacher Fethullah Gulen's movement.

Those arrested on Tuesday are accused of receiving or redistributing money sent from abroad by supporters of the 81-year-old preacher Gulen, who resides in the United States, beyond the reach of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

The preacher Gulen remained an ally of Erdogan for a long time until 2013 with the publication of audio recordings accusing the Turkish president of corruption.

Since the coup attempt in 2016, the Turkish authorities have arrested more than 300,000 people, including police, judiciary, army and intellectuals.

Turkey is asking Sweden and Finland to hand over Gulen movement members who live on their lands, as a condition for the Turkish Parliament's approval of the two countries' accession to NATO.