Over 20 FETO terror group suspects arrested in Turkey

By S.Ahmet Aytac

ANKARA (AA) - At least 24 suspected members of the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO), the group behind last year’s defeated coup in Turkey, were arrested on Monday, according to a security official.

Police arrested 11 FETO suspects in an operation based in the Black Sea province of Samsun for using ByLock, said the official, who asked not to be named due to restrictions on speaking to the media.

ByLock is an encrypted smartphone messaging app used by FETO members before and during last year's defeated coup attempt.

In a separate operation in the Mediterranean Antalya province, police also arrested 11 people for their alleged links to FETO.

Separately, police arrested a FETO-linked suspect in the northwestern Tekirdag province.

In a separate operation, in the central Eskisehir province, police arrested another FETO-linked suspect, a former Turkish Air Force pilot.

They are all accused of being members of a terrorist group.

FETO and its U.S.-based leader Fetullah Gulen orchestrated the defeated coup on July 15, 2016, which left 250 people martyred and nearly 2,200 injured.

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