23 FETO suspects arrested across Turkey

By Sebahatdin Zeyrek, Recep Bilek and Muzahim Zahid Tuzun

SAMSUN/DENIZLI/KAYSERI, Turkey (AA) - Twenty-three suspects were arrested during anti-terror operations across Turkey for their alleged links to the Fetullah Terror Organization (FETO), the group behind the 2016 defeated coup attempt, according to a judicial source on Tuesday.

Following arrest warrants by Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office of northern Samsun province, 13 on-duty and one sacked soldier were arrested, said a source, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to restrictions on speaking to the media.

In the central and western Turkish provinces of Kayseri and Denizli, nine suspects were detained for using FETO terror group’s encrypted messaging apps ByLock and Eagle on their mobile phones.

According to the government, 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.