35 Turkish military personnel detained in FETO probe

By Aylin Sirikli

ANKARA (AA) - Turkish police have detained 35 military personnel in an ongoing investigation into the group blamed for last year's defeated coup, the Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office announced on Monday.

The Turkish government has accused the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO) and its U.S.-based leader Fetullah Gulen of staging the July 15 military coup attempt.

The prosecutor’s office said in a written statement that 35 commissioned officers from the Gendarmerie Command were apprehended during raids across 20 provinces, including Ankara, on charges of being members of a terrorist group.

Last year’s failed coup martyred 250 people and left around 2,200 wounded.

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.

In the wake of the putsch attempt, tens of thousands of FETO suspects have been arrested, including many in the armed forces, police, judicial system, and education and business sectors.