Over 30 FETO suspects arrested across Turkey

By Durmus Genc

MUGLA, Turkey (AA) - At least 33 people have been arrested across Turkey for their suspected links to the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO), the group behind the 2016 defeated coup attempt, police sources said Wednesday.

Twenty-one suspects have been rounded up in southwestern Mugla province as part of an anti-terror operation against alleged attempts to revive the terror network.

According to police sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity, the suspects allegedly have been playing "active role" in efforts to bring around the terror group, holding frequent meetings, and facilitating and harboring fugitive members of the group.

The sources also said that the suspects have been providing financial assistance to needy FETO members in order to keep their ties with the group intact.

In separate raids, eleven FETO suspects, including three women, have been arrested in 8 provinces including Usak, Istanbul, Izmir, and Antalya, police sources said Wednesday.

Police seized computers and documents belonging to the suspects, said the sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to media restrictions.

They were also accused of using the terror group’s encrypted messaging program ByLock.

Another anti-terror operation saw one specialist sergeant arrested in central Eskisehir province for alleged ties with the terror group.

FETO and its U.S.-based leader Fetullah Gulen orchestrated the defeated coup of July 15, 2016, which left 251 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.