UPDATE - Police arrest at least 30 suspects in FETO probe

UPDATE INCLUDES MORE ARRESTS

By Ugur Ulu, Serdar Acil and Tanju Ozkaya

ANKARA (AA) - Turkish police on Monday arrested 33 suspected members of FETO, the group behind the 2016 defeated coup, according to police sources.

Twenty-two of the suspects were caught in Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO) safehouses in the western province of Bursa, said the sources, who asked not to be named due to restrictions on speaking to the media.

Among them were a fugitive prosecutor and alleged so-called “imams” from the terror group's police and military infiltration.

During the operations, the suspects tried to throw out their cellphones, data cards, and flash disks, said the source.

Police also seized 19 yellow vests, fake ID cards, and money hidden inside cooking pots.

In addition, a great many books by Fetullah Gulen, the terror group's leader, were found.

Separately, in the capital Ankara, 11 teachers were arrested in a FETO probe for allegedly using ByLock, an encrypted smartphone app linked to the group.

Ankara prosecutors had previously issued arrest warrants for 14 teachers on suspicion of armed terrorist group membership.

Police are still seeking the remaining three suspects.

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.