Turkey: 26 arrested for FETO terror links

By Recep Bilek and Yusuf Koyun

SAMSUN/ADANA, Turkey (AA) - Turkish police on Wednesday arrested a total of 26 people for their suspected links to Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO), the group behind the 2016 defeated coup, security sources said.

The police arrested 21 suspects in southeastern Adana province after provincial prosecutors issued arrest warrants for 26 suspects.

A hunt for the remaining five suspects is underway.

Meanwhile, police in the Black Sea Samsun province arrested four suspects and a convict on charges of using the terror group’s encrypted smartphone messaging app, ByLock.

FETO and its U.S.-based leader Fetullah Gulen orchestrated the defeated coup on 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.