Turkey seeks arrest of 70 police over FETO links

By Zafer Fatih Beyaz and Cemil Murat Budak

ANKARA (AA) - Ankara prosecutors Thursday issued arrest warrants for 70 police officers over suspected links to the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO).

The suspects allegedly used ByLock, a secret messaging app linked to July 15 coup plot, said judicial sources who spoke on condition of anonymity due to restrictions on speaking to the media.

Ankara police launched operations across 5 provinces to arrest the suspects, some of whom were discharged under a previous statutory decree, the sources said.

They added that some of the suspects had already been detained, as the operation is ongoing.

FETO, led by U.S.-based Fetullah Gulen, has been accused by the Turkish government of staging the defeated July 15 military coup attempt.

The terror network is also accused of being behind a long-running campaign to overthrow the state through the infiltration of Turkish institutions, particularly the military, police, and judiciary.

The July 15 defeated coup left 248 people martyred, and around 2,200 others wounded.

Since then, operations have been ongoing in the military, police and judiciary, as well as in state institutions across the country, to arrest suspects with alleged links to the FETO.