Turkey: 54 FETO terror suspects arrested

By Savas Guler and Halil Demir

KONYA, Turkey (AA) - At least 25 people including active-duty and former soldiers were arrested Wednesday for their suspected links to the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO), the group behind the 2016 defeated coup in Turkey, according to a security source.

In the central Konya province, 25 people were arrested under a warrant for 40 suspects thought to be part of the terrorist group's infiltration of the military, according to sources who asked not to be named due to restrictions on speaking to the media.

In a separate Istanbul-based operation, 29 of 47 people sought under a warrant were arrested under suspicion of financially supporting the terrorist group, the security sources said. The operations were carried out simultaneously in the Istanbul, Ankara, Izmir and Bilecik provinces.

FETO and its U.S.-based leader Fetullah Gulen orchestrated the defeated coup of July 15, 2016, which left 251 people martyred and nearly 2,200 injured.

Turkey also 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.

* Writing by Erdogan Cagatay Zontur