Turkey: 75 police officers arrested over FETO probe

By Tanju Ozkaya, Serdar Acil and Sertac Bulur

ANKARA (AA) - Turkish security forces arrested 75 police officers on Friday over alleged links to the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO), the terror group behind the defeated July 15 coup in 2016 in Turkey.

Police sources said 75 FETO suspects were arrested in nationwide operations as they were accused of obtaining illicit access to the questions of a police promotion exam in 2010.

Ankara prosecutors previously issued arrest warrants for 84 police officers -- 13 currently serving -- in an ongoing probe.

Some 41 were arrested in capital Ankara during Friday's operations.

The suspects were promoted to the rank of commissar, allegedly receiving the exam questions beforehand, the General Directorate of Security said in a statement.

Efforts for the capture of the remaining suspects are ongoing.

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.

Ankara 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 Can Erozden