Warrants issued for Turkish science ministry staff

By Zafer Fatih Beyaz

ANKARA (AA) - Prosecutors in Ankara on Friday issued arrest warrants for 59 current and former officials at the Ministry of Science, Industry and Technology.

In a statement, the Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor's Office said the warrants were issued as part of an investigation into the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO) across 20 provinces.

Nine of the suspects are serving civil servants and 50 were previously suspended or dismissed.

All are accused of membership and supporting a terror organisation and are said to have used the ByLock smart phone messaging app linked to FETO.

FETO is said to be behind last year’s attempted coup. The group, led by U.S.-based Fetullah Gulen is believed to have spent decades infiltrating Turkish institutions -- particularly the military, police, and judiciary -- in a bid to seize control of the state from within.

ByLock encryption is thought to have been cracked by Turkish security agencies before the coup attempt in July last year, allowing them to identify tens of thousands FETO supporters.