Arrest warrants issued for 56 FETO suspects in Ankara

By Zafer Fatih Beyaz

ANKARA (AA) - An Ankara prosecutor issued Monday arrest warrants for 56 suspects linked to the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO).

As part of an Ankara-based investigation into the terror group’s secret network within the Turkish Air Forces, arrest warrants have been issued for 20 civilian suspects in five provinces, according to a statement by the Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office.

Separately, the office also issued arrest warrants for 36 suspects in nine provinces, including 16 ByLock users -- an encrypted mobile phone application used by FETO members to communicate during and after the defeated 2016 coup.

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.

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.