Turkey issues arrest warrant for ex-CIA officer

By Muhammed Enes Can and Murat Kaya

ISTANBUL (AA) - An Istanbul court on Friday issued an arrest warrant for a former CIA officer over alleged ties to the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO), a judicial official said.

The warrant for Graham E. Fuller, a former vice chairman of the National Intelligence Council at the CIA who now works as a history professor, was issued as part of a broader FETO investigation by the Terror and Organized Crime Bureau of the Istanbul Public Prosecutor’s Office.

Fuller, who reportedly helped FETO leader Fetullah Gulen secure U.S. residency in the late 1990s, has been an outspoken supporter of Gulen in the U.S. media.

FETO orchestrated last year’s attempted coup in Turkey that led to the deaths of 250 people.

The official, who spoke in condition of anonymity due to the restrictions on talking to the media, said the warrant was issued on charges of violating the Turkish constitution, attempting to overturn the government, interfering in the government’s duties and espionage.

The Istanbul counter-terrorism bureau has carried out a number of high-profile arrests in recent months.

In October, Metin Topuz, a liaison officer between the U.S. Drugs Enforcement Agency and Turkish law enforcement stationed at the U.S. Consulate in Istanbul was arrested over alleged FETO ties.

The arrest sparked a major diplomatic spat between Ankara and Washington.

It also arrested Osman Kavala, a wealthy philanthropist, in October and has secured arrest warrants for former Republican People's Party lawmaker Aykan Erdemir, who currently lives and works in the U.S., and U.S.-based international relations professor Henri Barkey.