Turkey: 12 suspects arrested for FETO links

By Cankut Tasdan

ANKARA (AA) - Turkish police arrested 12 people for suspected links to the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO), the group behind the 2016 defeated coup, a security source said Tuesday.

The arrests came after the Ankara Chief Prosecutor’s Office issued warrants for 15 suspects accused of using ByLock, the terror group’s encrypted smartphone messaging app, said a source who asked not to be named due to restrictions on speaking to the media.

The arrests were made in Ankara and police are on the lookout for the remaining suspects.

FETO and its US-based leader Fetullah Gulen orchestrated the defeated coup of July 15, 2016, in which 251 people were martyred and nearly 2,200 injured.

Turkey 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.