17 ex-police officers arrested in FETO terror sweep

By Sertac Bulur and Serdar Acil

ANKARA (AA) - Seventeen former police officers, including an ex-police chief and deputy police chief, have been arrested across Turkey as part of a probe into FETO, the terror group behind the 2016 defeated coup attempt, security sources said on Friday.

The arrests came after Ankara prosecutors issued warrants for 23 former police officers in seven provinces including the capital Ankara, said the sources, who asked not to be named due to restrictions on speaking to the media.

The suspects are accused of being part of the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO) infiltration of the Turkish police.

A police hunt for the remaining suspects is underway.

FETO, led by U.S.-based Fetullah Gulen, orchestrated the defeated coup of July 15, 2016 which left 251 people martyred and around 2,200 others wounded.

Turkey's government 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.