UPDATE - Turkish police arrested over coup-linked message app

UPDATES WITH 120 POLICE OFFICERS ARRESTED

ISTANBUL (AA) – As many as 120 high-ranking police officers were arrested in a nationwide operation Friday for allegedly using the ByLock messaging app, which authorities believe was linked to the July 15 coup attempt.

The operation aims to target a total of 166 officers, a police official said, adding authorities were continuing to look for the remaining suspects.

Senior officers such as provincial chiefs and divisional heads are among those who have been marked for arrest in 35 provinces, including Istanbul.

The smartphone app is believed to have been cracked by Turkish security agencies before the defeated coup and reportedly identified tens of thousands of members of the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO), which the government has said was behind the attempted takeover.

Coup plotters are believed to have used the WhatsApp messaging service after FETO members became aware that ByLock had been compromised.

Speaking on condition of anonymity due to restrictions on talking to the media, the official said: “The public prosecution office ordered 166 police officers to be taken in custody on Friday.

“The Anti-Smuggling and Organized Crime Department carried the operation in 26 districts of Istanbul and 35 provinces.”

Meanwhile, a head official of Celebi district of Kirikkale province has been taken into custody for using ByLock app as well.

The government has said FETO, headed by U.S.-based Fetullah Gulen, was behind the coup attempt as well as other efforts to destabilize Turkey dating back to 2013 by using supporters within state institutions, particularly the military, police and judiciary.