33 FETO terror suspects nabbed across Turkey

By Halil Demir

ISTANBUL (AA) - Turkish police arrested at least 33 people over their suspected links to the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO), the group behind the 2016 defeated coup in Turkey, security sources said on Saturday.

In a statement, prosecutors in the metropolis Istanbul said arrest warrants were issued for 52 suspects, including those in active duty and dismissed personnel, as part of a probe into the terror group’s infiltration into the military.

Police arrested 33 suspects in Istanbul-based anti-terror operations conducted simultaneously in 17 provinces. The suspects are accused of communicating with senior FETO members via pay phones or fixed lines.

FETO and its US-based leader Fetullah Gulen orchestrated the defeated coup of July 15, 2016, which left 251 people dead and 2,734 injured.

Ankara 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.

* Writing by Dilan Pamuk in Ankara.