Turkey: 45 FETO-linked terror suspects arrested

By Orhan Onur Gemici

ANKARA (AA) - Turkish police on Friday arrested 45 suspects for their suspected links to Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO), the group behind the 2016 defeated coup attempt, security sources said.

The arrests came after prosecutors in Ankara issued arrest warrants for 121 suspects. The police conducted simultaneous raids in 29 provinces to arrest the suspects.

The suspects were accused of leaking the civil service recruitment exam -- also known as KPSS -- in 2011, which they used to infiltrate state institutions.

A hunt for the remaining suspects is underway.

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

* Writing by Gozde Bayar