Senior FETO terror suspect arrested in Turkey’s capital

By Orhan Onur Gemici and Sertac Bulur

ANKARA (AA) – A suspected senior member of the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO), the group behind the 2016 defeated coup in Turkey, was arrested by Turkish police in the capital Ankara on Thursday, according to security sources.

Police arrested the suspected so-called “covert imam” of the terror group in a house in the Etimesgut district, where he was hiding, said the source, who asked not to be named due to restrictions on speaking to the media.

The fugitive suspect, codenamed Soner, identified only by initials N.C., has been wanted since 2017 for establishing, leading, and being a member of an armed terrorist group.

He was dismissed from the Education Ministry and was a user of ByLock, the terror group’s encrypted messaging app, said the source. He also used fake identities to avoid being caught by the police, the source added.

FETO and its US-based leader Fetullah Gulen orchestrated the defeated coup of July 15, 2016, which left 251 people dead and 2,734 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.

*Writing by Gozde Bayar