Turkey: 38 FETO terror suspects arrested

By Cankut Tasdan, Haydar Toprakci and Muzahim Zahid Tuzun

ANKARA/IZMIR/KAYSERI, Turkey (AA) – At least 38 people were arrested Tuesday for their suspected links to the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO), the group behind the 2016 defeated coup in the country, according to security sources.

Police in the capital Ankara arrested 13 FETO suspects after prosecutors issued warrants for 16 suspects in the city in connection with cheating in a police exam in 2012.

Efforts are ongoing to arrest the remaining suspects.

Separately, prosecutors in the western Izmir province sought the arrest of 15 suspects as part of a probe launched into suspects for using the terror group's encrypted messaging app, ByLock.

A total of 10 suspects were arrested in the ongoing operation in Izmir.

Meanwhile, prosecutors in the central province of Kayseri sought the arrest of 20 suspects, including on-duty and dismissed soldiers, as part of a probe launched into the terror group’s infiltration into the military, said the source on condition of anonymity due to restrictions on speaking to the media.

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