FETO suspect's relative in ‘hero’ t-shirt detained

By Serdar Acil and Tanju Ozkaya

ANKARA (AA) - A man was taken into custody on Monday for attempting to enter a courtroom in Turkey's capital, wearing a t-shirt with the word "hero" inscribed on it.

Emirhan B. was detained by police as he entered an Ankara courtroom where his uncle Halil Ibrahim B., a Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO) suspect and a former sergeant, stood trial.

The suspect, who was handed over to the Sincan district's police department, claimed he did not know the meaning of “hero”.

In a related incident last week, Gokhan Guclu, a suspected FETO member -- who was part of a group that tried to assassinate the Turkish president on the night of the defeated coup last July -- appeared before a court having a the word “hero” on his t-shirt.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus have suggested that suspects in FETO probes wear uniforms when they appear before a judge.

Kurtulmus also urged prosecutors to launch a probe into last week's incident.

FETO and its U.S.-based leader, Fetullah Gulen, are accused of orchestrating the defeated coup on July 15, 2016 that left 250 people martyred and nearly 2,200 injured.

Ankara has also said FETO is behind a long-running campaign to overthrow the state through the infiltration of Turkish institutions, particularly the military, police and judiciary.