By Muhammed Enes Can, Murat Kaya and Yunus Ege
ISTANBUL (AA) – An Istanbul court Friday ordered the release of 21 suspects, including Turkish singer Atilla Tas, all of whom were being held as part of a probe into the media network of the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO), a judicial source said.
Istanbul’s High Criminal Court no:25 also said arrest warrant procedures were pending for three other suspects, including suspected FETO-linked journalist Said Sefa, the creator of a pseudonymous Twitter “whistle-blower” account known as Fuat Avni, the source said on condition of anonymity due to restrictions on talking to the media.
Sefa is accused of attempting to overthrow the government or hinder it from performing its duties through force, for which the prosecution seeks an aggravated life imprisonment.
Sefa, the former editor-in-chief of FETO-linked website haberdar.com, was detained and remanded last July in the wake of the defeated July 15 coup.
The court also ruled that five other journalists, including Unal Tanik, the owner of closed news website Rotahaber, will remain in custody.
According to Turkey’s government, terrorist group FETO and its U.S.-based leader Fetullah Gulen orchestrated the defeated coup of July 2016 which left 249 people martyred and nearly 2,200 injured.
Ankara has also said FETO is 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 putsch attempt, tens of thousands of FETO suspects have been arrested, including many in the armed forces, police, judicial system, education and business sector.