Life terms sought for FETO members over coup bid

By Baris Kilic, Serdar Acil and Tanju Ozkaya

ANKARA (AA) - A Turkish prosecutor on Monday sought multiple aggravated life sentences for 16 soldiers and four civilian members of Fetullah Terorrist Organization (FETO), the group behind the deadly coup attempt in July 2016, according to a judicial source.

Adnan Gumus, a public prosecutor in capital Ankara, recommended 79 aggravated life sentences for the soldiers and so-called civilian imams of the terror group in a hearing on the incidents at the Akinci Air Base.

At Akinci, an air base to the north of the capital Ankara -- renamed Murted after the defeated coup -- the coup plotters established a command center to coordinate attacks, including fighter jets that attacked the parliament and presidential palace

The so-called civilian imams Kemal Batmaz, Hakan Cicek, Nurettin Oruc and Harun Binis and the soldiers are accused of violation of the constitution, attempt to assassinate the president, and deliberate killing of 77 people.

On July 15, 2016, a FETO coup attempt in Turkey left 251 people martyred and nearly 2,200 injured.

Turkey accuses FETO – led by U.S.-based Gulen – of a long-running campaign to overthrow the state through the infiltration of Turkish institutions, particularly the military, police, and judiciary.