Turkey: Arrest warrants out for 52 FETO-linked suspects

By Baris Kilic

ANKARA (AA) - Turkish prosecutors on Tuesday issued arrest warrants for 52 suspects across Turkey for their alleged links to the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO), the group behind the 2016 defeated coup.

According to the Chief Public Prosecutor's office in the capital Ankara, among the suspects were 30 former and three on-duty personnel of the Health Ministry, one former personnel of Agriculture and Forestry Ministry, as well as 18 so-called "covert imams" linked to Kemal Batmaz -- the accused second-in-command of the FETO terror group.

Police have rounded up 27 of the suspects so far in simultaneous operations in six provinces across Turkey, including Ankara.

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.