Coach at FETO-linked US school arrested on child porn charges

By Michael Hernandez

WASHINGTON (AA) - A 25-year-old coach and physical education teacher at a school in the US state of Georgia linked to the Fetullah Terror Organization (FETO) has been taken into custody by authorities on child pornography charges.

Tarik Uduk was arrested Aug. 30 and charged with 10 counts of possessing child pornography and one count of obscenely interacting with a child on the internet, according to police in Sandy Springs, Georgia. He has been placed on pre-trial release after posting bond, Sandy Springs Det. Haley Reich said in an email exchange with Anadolu Agency.

Uduk worked at the Fulton Science Academy in Alpharetta, Georgia. The school has been publicly linked to FETO following a state audit that determined it was involved in questionable business practices, including unfairly awarding contracts to companies owned by FETO leader Fethullah Gulen's followers while using public funds.

Sandy Springs Police said their investigation into Uduk began following a tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, which said an individual was uploading child pornography onto an online server. Police then worked with the Georgia Bureau of Investigation to determine the photos were being uploaded from a residence in Sandy Springs and identified Uduk as a suspect.

Multiple search warrants and court orders were issued which led them to Uduk, police said in a statement. The warrants led authorities to discover multiple images and videos of child pornography that included minors between 12 and 15 years of age.

Detectives are continuing to search for additional evidence on Uduk's electronic devices and are seeking to determine if any victims were in contact with Uduk, said authorities. He was arrested at the Fulton Science Academy and taken to the Fulton County Jail.

FETO and its Pennsylvania-based ringleader Fethullah Gulen orchestrated a 2016 defeated coup in Turkey and are accused of being behind a long-running campaign to covertly seize power in the country.

FETO is a designated terrorist organization in Turkey, and authorities in Ankara have been seeking Gulen's extradition from the US since the coup attempt.