CORRECTS- UPDATE- Anadolu Agency spots leading FETO fugitive in US

By Ertugrul Cingil and Hakan Copur

NEW JERSEY (AA) - Anadolu Agency on Saturday spotted key Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO) figure Aydogan Vatandas in the U.S. state of New Jersey.

Vatandas heads the terror group's media structure and allegedly runs its accounts on Twitter that spread inaccurate information under the name Fuat Avni.

He was first spotted at Ant Bookstore & Cafe in New Jersey's Clifton district, which is one of the main gathering spots of FETO members. He later visited Cafe 46, managed by FETO sympathizers, in Hackensack district.

When Anadolu Agency correspondents tried to approach him for questions, Vatandas panicked and stormed toward the back of Cafe 46.

After working at a number of FETO-linked media outlets in Turkey, Vatandas left for New York and wrote for FETO's former English language daily Today's Zaman.

In an indictment compiled by Istanbul Chief Prosecutor's Office, a FETO suspect confessed that Vatandas managed the terror group's Twitter account on and off in Turkey.

Once he was identified with the codename "crypto". Through help from FETO's intelligence he left for the U.S. permanently by using two separate tickets to prevent being tracked down.

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

Turkey 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.