More suspects arrested across Turkey in FETO probe

By Halil Demir

ISTANBUL (AA) - Turkish police on Saturday arrested more suspects as part of last week's investigation into Fetullah Gulen Terrorist (FETO) organization, putting the number of total detainees at 177.

On Jan. 21, police raided 325 locations in 49 provinces across the country in an operation targeting 235 suspects, including 187 police officers, a police source said on condition of anonymity due to restrictions on talking to the media.

Ninety-seven people are suspected of having used ByLock, a smartphone messaging app the Turkish government says was used by FETO members, while the other 138 suspects have been identified by the prosecution following statements of FETO informants.

On Saturday, an Istanbul court remanded 59 suspects and released eight others under judicial supervision, who were held on Friday. Earlier, more than 100 were detained.

A total of 60 suspects is currently under questioning at Istanbul police department, while 50 others at local police departments across the country.

An operation is ongoing to apprehend the remaining 58 suspects.

FETO, led by U.S.-based Fetullah Gulen, has been accused of orchestrating the failed coup attempt of July 2016. The defeated coup left 248 people martyred, and around 2,200 others wounded.

Turkey's government accuses the FETO terror network of staging the coup attempt as well as being behind a long-running campaign to overthrow the state through the infiltration of Turkish institutions, particularly the military, police, and judiciary.

Since the failed coup, operations have been ongoing in the military, police and judiciary, as well as in state institutions across the country, to arrest suspects with alleged links to FETO.