10 FETO suspects detained in Izmir over ByLock use

IZMIR, Turkey (AA) - Turkish police have detained 10 people with suspected links to the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO) in the Aegean province of Izmir, security sources said Thursday.

The detentions came from arrest warrants issued by Izmir prosecutors for 12 suspects with various backgrounds, said the sources, who asked not to be named due to restrictions on speaking to the media.

A search for the remaining two suspects continues.

The suspects are accused of using ByLock, an encrypted cellphone app said to be used by FETO members to communicate during and after the defeated 2016 coup.

The Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO) and its U.S.-based leader Fetullah Gulen orchestrated the defeated coup of July 15, 2016, which left 251 people martyred and nearly 2,200 injured.

Ankara also accuses FETO of being behind a long-running campaign to overthrow the state through the infiltration of Turkish institutions, particularly the military, police, and judiciary.