Arrest warrants out for 147 FETO suspects in Turkiye

By Cemil Murat Budak

ANKARA (AA) - Turkish prosecutors issued arrest warrants on Tuesday for 147 suspects over their alleged links to the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO), the group behind the defeated coup of 2016.

The Chief Public Prosecutor's office in Ankara issued a warrant for 132 so-called "covert imams" found to be part of the organization's presence in the Gendarmerie General Command. They included two sitting and 74 dismissed public officials, along with 56 private sector employees.

The Ankara-based operation launched to apprehend the suspects continues in 50 provinces.

Another arrest warrant was also issued by the same prosecutor's office for 15 other suspects, including four on active duty, as part of an investigation into the organization's presence in the health sector.

FETO and its US-based leader Fetullah Gulen orchestrated the defeated coup of July 2016 in Turkiye, in which 251 people were killed and 2,734 injured.

The Turkish government 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.