Turkey: Arrest warrants out for 27 FETO-linked suspects

By Serdar Acil

ANKARA (AA) - Turkish prosecutors on Wednesday issued arrest warrants for 27 former and on-duty civil servants at the country's ministries for their links to the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO), the group behind the 2016 defeated coup.

The Chief Public Prosecutor's Office in the capital Ankara issued arrest warrants for 23 former and four on-duty public employees for using ByLock, an encrypted smartphone messaging app used by FETO members.

Among the suspects were 15 personnel of the Agriculture and Forestry Ministry, five personnel of the Energy Ministry and eight personnel from other public institutions.

Police have rounded up 11 of the suspects so far in simultaneous operations in seven provinces across Turkey. They will be taken to the Ankara police headquarters.

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.