More than 75 FETO suspects arrested across Turkey

By Sibel Ugurlu

ANKARA (AA) - At least 77 suspects, including former soldiers were arrested Thursday for being linked to the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO), according to a security official.

Among them were 10 former members of council of state who were arrested in Ankara after the Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office issued warrants for 13 suspects.

In northern Corum province, six suspects were arrested for using FETO’s encrypted smartphone messaging application ByLock, the official, who asked not to be named due to restrictions on speaking to the media, said.

According to Turkish authorities, ByLock was a means of communication among members of the FETO, which orchestrated the defeated coup of July 15, 2016 that left 250 people martyred and some 2,200 others injured.

Police arrested 61 FETO suspects, including former soldiers from 11 provinces as part of a central Eskisehir city-based operation Thursday, according to a judicial source.

The arrests came after the Chief Public Prosecutor's Office in Eskisehir issued warrants for 66 suspected members of Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO), including fighter pilots earlier in the day, the source, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to restrictions on talking to the media, said.

Turkey accuses FETO of a long-running campaign to overthrow the state through the infiltration of Turkish institutions, particularly the military, police, and judiciary.