Turkey: FETO ringleader’s niece arrested

By Metin Tokgoz and Safiye Goren

ISTANBUL (AA) - The U.S.-based ringleader of Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO) Fetullah Gulen’s niece was arrested on Friday, according to a security source.

Zeynep Gulen used a fake identity during a regular police patrol, said the source who asked not to be named due to restriction on speaking to media.

Police, after identifying Zeynep Gulen as Fetullah Gulen’s niece, arrested her based on a previous arrest warrant for being member of an armed terrorist organization, the source added.

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 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 Busra Nur Bilgic Cakmak