Turkey: Arrest warrants out for 42 FETO-linked suspects

By Muhammed Enes Can and Serdar Acil

ISTANBUL (AA) – Turkish prosecutors on Wednesday issued arrest warrants for 42 people for their suspected links to Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO), the group behind the 2016 defeated coup attempt.

The Chief Public Prosecutor's Office in Istanbul issued warrants for 33 suspects as part of an ongoing probe into the group's infiltration of the Turkish army, said a police source, who asked not to be named due to restrictions on speaking to the media.

The suspects, who include on-duty soldiers and some public employees including police officers and teachers, are accused of being “imams” of the terror group.

They include 12 soldiers, one banker, a research assistant, three police officers, three teachers and some other officials.

Police carried out simultaneous raids in 20 provinces to arrest the suspects, the source added.

The Chief Public Prosecutor's Office in Ankara issued arrest warrants for nine suspects at Hacettepe Teknokent, a technocity in the capital.

Police arrested four out of nine suspects in simultaneous operations in Ankara and Istanbul.

The Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office in Konya issued arrest warrants for 50 suspects including on-duty soldiers on Tuesday.

A total of 40 suspects were arrested on Wednesday. Police is on the lookout for the remaining 10 suspects, the source added.

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

Ankara 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.