20 more FETO terror suspects nabbed in Turkey

By Serdar Acil and Tanju Ozkaya

ANKARA (AA) - Turkish security forces arrested 20 more people for suspected links to the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO), the group behind the 2016 defeated coup in the country, authorities said on Friday.

Prosecutors in the capital Ankara issued arrest warrants for 60 suspects as part of a probe into the terror group’s infiltration of the Gendarmerie General Command, according to the prosecutor's office.

The 60 suspects, 30 of whom were expelled from public institutions as part of the investigation, were found to be "covert imams" – senior FETO members in the terror group's "covert services."

As part of the investigation, simultaneous operations based in Ankara were carried out in 34 provinces nationwide.

While 20 of the suspects were detained by Ankara anti-terror police teams, work continues to apprehend the other suspects.

FETO and its US-based leader Fetullah Gulen orchestrated the defeated coup of July 15, 2016, which left 251 people dead and 2,734 injured.

Ankara 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.

Since the coup attempt, tens of thousands of FETO suspects have been arrested, including many in the armed forces, police, judicial system, and education sector.

*Writing by Jeyhun Aliyev