Dozens of FETO suspects arrested across Turkey

By Fahrettin Gok, Seyhan Kirici, Muhammet Mutaf, and Ugur Ulu

ERZURUM, Turkey (AA) - Turkish police in their nationwide operations Thursday arrested 66 people for their alleged links to Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO), according to security sources.

The suspects were arrested in eight different provinces following judicial orders for their arrest, the sources, who asked not be named due to restrictions on talking to media, told Anadolu Agency.

The prosecutors’ offices in eastern Erzurum province, and northwestern Bursa and Balikesir provinces issued arrest warrants for the suspects over their alleged ties with FETO, which the Turkish government accuses of orchestrating a coup attempt in July last year.

43 suspects -- including military personnel and academician -- were arrested in the Erzurum province in two separate raids. Police also held eleven more from Balikesir and one from each southeastern Hatay and Adiyaman provinces.

In another simultaneous operation that spread to Bursa, Antalya and Giresun provinces also resulted in the arrest of 10 FETO suspects.

The July 15 coup attempt saw 250 people martyred and 2,200 wounded.

Ankara accused FETO of being behind a long-running campaign to overthrow the state through the infiltration of Turkish institutions, particularly the military, police, and judiciary.

In the wake of the coup attempt, tens of thousands of FETO suspects have been arrested, including many in the armed forces, police, judicial system, and education and business sectors.