12 FETO suspects remanded across Turkey

ANKARA (AA) - At least 12 suspects accused of having links to the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO) were remanded in custody Monday following anti-FETO operations across Turkey.

In southeastern Gaziantep province, five suspects accused of using the ByLock mobile app were remanded, according to a statement by Gaziantep’s Office of the Chief Prosecutor.

The app was allegedly used by FETO members during last year’s deadly defeated coup attempt.

The ByLock app is believed to have been cracked by Turkish security agencies before the attempted coup, prompting the plotters to switch to the WhatsApp messaging service, but not before tens of thousands of FETO suspects were identified.

In eastern Agri province, three on-duty soldiers were remanded over links to FETO, including a lieutenant, according to a statement from the local Office of the Chief Prosecutor.

In southern Adana province, a suspect accused of “being a member of an armed terror organization” was remanded as part of an investigation into FETO and three FETO suspects were also remanded in the northern Black Sea province of Karabuk, police sources said.

Separately, four suspects were arrested in central Sivas province over suspected links to FETO.

Police also detained six suspects in central Kirikkale province and two suspects in western Balikesir province, all of whom were identified to be ByLock users.

FETO and its U.S.-based leader Fetullah Gulen orchestrated the defeated coup of July 15, 2016 which left 250 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.

* Adsiz Gunebakan from Gaziantep, Ahmet Ozler from Karabuk, Halife Yalcinkaya from Sivas, Orhan Gungor from Agri, Zekeriya Karadavut from Kirikkale, Sinan Balcikoca from Balikesir and Neset Karadag from Adana contributed to this report.