81 FETO terror group suspects arrested in Turkey

By Sertac Bulur and Cemil Murat Budak

ANKARA (AA) – At least 81 suspects linked to the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO) were arrested in Turkey on Friday.

Prosecutors in Ankara issued arrest warrants for 125 suspects, including 29 people who were sacked or suspended from the Turkish Foreign Ministry for having contacts with the terror group and using FETO’s encrypted messaging app ByLock.

The other suspects were 18 non-commissioned officers and 78 students dismissed from military schools, said security sources, requesting anonymity due to restrictions on speaking to the media.

Simultaneous operations in 15 provinces in the early hours of Friday led to the arrests of 14 suspects, while 67 others were nabbed in raids in 37 provinces, the sources said.

Efforts are underway to arrest the remaining individuals.

FETO and its US-based leader Fetullah Gulen orchestrated the defeated coup of July 15, 2016 in Turkey, 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 Dilan Pamuk in Ankara