Turkish security forces nab alleged senior FETO member

By Elif Ozlem Celikler

BURSA, Turkey (AA) - Turkish security forces rounded up Friday a suspect alleged to be a "covert imam" -- senior member -- of Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO), the group behind the 2016 defeated coup in Turkey.

A suspect, identified by the initials S.S., was nabbed hiding in an address in Nilufer district of the northwestern province of Bursa, according to security sources.

The provincial Gendarmerie Command along with the teams of regional office of National Intelligence Organization have conducted an operation on June 21 to catch the suspect, but since the suspect was not found at the address, an arrest warrant was issued for his capture.

It was learned that the suspect was preparing to flee from the country, 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 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.

* Writing by Jeyhun Aliyev