3 FETO suspects nabbed in western Türkiye while trying to flee to Greece

By Safak Yel

IZMIR, Türkiye (AA) - Security forces in western Türkiye caught three alleged members of the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO), the group behind the 2016 defeated coup in the country, as they were attempting to flee by boat to Greece, local authorities announced on Monday.

In a statement, the governor’s office in Izmir province said local prosecutors coordinated the operation with gendarmerie and intelligence forces to nab the wanted suspects as they were trying to flee to the Aegean island of Chios from the coastal district of Cesme.

One of the suspects was a dismissed petty officer in the military.

FETO orchestrated the defeated coup of July 15, 2016, in Türkiye, in which 251 people were killed 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.

*Writing by Sevilay Beki in Istanbul