Turkey: 2 FETO-linked army officers surrender to police

By Cankut Tasdan

ANKARA (AA) - An army officer and a sergeant surrendered to police on Thursday over links to Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO), the group behind the defeated coup attempt in 2016 in Turkey.

Earlier this week, four soldiers from the Turkish Land and Naval Forces Command surrendered to Ankara’s Security Directorate following a testimony by former Lt. Burak Akin.

Akin had admitted he was a FETO member on Dec. 27, 2017. He too had surrendered after police found out he had held secret conversations with FETO using encoded addresses.

He was released under judicial control following his testimony against FETO.

FETO and its U.S.-based leader Fetullah Gulen orchestrated the defeated coup on July 15, 2016, which left 250 people martyred and nearly 2,200 injured.

Ankara 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, as well as having a large network of influence and intimidation abroad.