Police arrest over 170 FETO suspects across Turkey

By Mustafa Bayer and Sezgin Pancar

ANKARA (AA) - Police arrested 174 FETO suspects during early morning operations across Turkey on Friday.

Out of the total, 12 suspects, including eight active and former soldiers were arrested during police operations in 15 Turkish provinces.

According to Van Police Department, simultaneous operations were carried out in Van, Isparta, Bitlis, Ankara, Manisa, Izmir, Antalya, Tokat, Balikesir, Bingol, Konya, Kocaeli, Kastamonu, Hakkari and Sirnak provinces.

Separately, police arrested 38 FETO suspects in the capital, according to Chief Public Prosecutor's Office in Ankara. The suspects were affiliated to a labor confederation closed under a decree-law for its FETO links.

Also, three suspects were arrested in Ankara-based simultaneous operations across seven provinces.

The arrests, 30 in the capital and 11 in other provinces, came after arrest warrants were issued by the Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office in Ankara.

Of them, eight suspects were accused of using ByLock, an encrypted mobile phone application used by FETO members to communicate during and after the defeated 2016 coup, and providing financial support to FETO-affiliated Bank Asya after the group's judicial coup attempt on Dec. 17-25, 2013.

Also, Ankara police arrested 24 other FETO suspects as part of their anti-terror operation against FETO's setup within the Turkish police.

Ten others were arrested in Mediterranean provinces of Adana and Mersin, and northwestern provinces of Istanbul and Balikesir.

Police also arrested 25 suspects who were employees of a FETO-linked publishing company, Isik Publishing.

A police source told Anadolu Agency that Istanbul police also launched a simultaneous operation to catch 55 suspects in 13 provinces, including Istanbul. So far, they nabbed 25 suspects out of the total, the source who spoke on condition of anonymity due to restrictions on talking to the media, said.

Seven suspects, including a dismissed civil servant were also arrested as part of a FETO probe in Samsun, Kirikkale and Ordu provinces, Samsun police said.

The suspects were accused of working for FETO-linked firms and using ByLock, an encrypted cellphone app said to be used by FETO members to communicate during and after the defeated 2016 coup.

One more FETO suspect was held in central province of Eskisehir. During a search of suspect Yilmaz Y.'s home, police seized many books by Fetullah Gulen.

Additionally, six FETO suspects were arrested in central Kayseri province. The wanted suspects were said to be hiding in safehouses.

Separately, 35 suspects have been arrested in an operation centered in western province of Afyonkarahisar.

In simultaneous operations, police apprehended 35 suspects, including dismissed soldiers and military school students, over FETO links in 17 provinces.

The suspects were sent to a courthouse after health checkups in Afyonkarahisar Public Hospital.

Thirteen soldiers -- including 11 on duty -- were arrested in operations across nine provinces including Mersin, Ankara, Istanbul and Izmir.

Mersin Chief Public Prosecutor's Office said FETO's so-called imams had repeatedly contacted several military personnel through pay-phones.

Police arrested 13 suspects in operations across nine provinces.

The Fetullah Terrorist Organisation (FETO) and its U.S.-based leader Fetullah Gulen orchestrated the defeated coup of 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.